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The Battle of Tahrir Square

(Jerusalem Post) Melanie Lidman - The vicious battle in Cairo's Tahrir Square that broke out on Wednesday between anti-Mubarak protesters and the supporters of the Egyptian president was a savage 16-hour melee that involved thousands of men lashing out with rocks, metal rods and their bare hands. "Everyone that stayed here last night was wounded in one way or another, so we're talking about thousands of injuries," said Alaa S., a Cairo doctor. Most of the side streets are cut off by giant barriers made from sheet metal stolen from a construction site and burned-out vehicles. As rumors swirled of possible breaks in the barricades on Thursday, again and again people would be encouraged to run toward the site of the break, grabbing stones from huge stockpiles of broken pavement as they ran. The mood in the square was no longer optimistic, but one of fatalism. Talk of martyrdom and heroism was rampant as the men revved up for another night of fighting.
2011-02-04 08:42:59
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