Egyptians defiant as street battles persist - World news - Mideast/N. Africa - msnbc.com Mubarak struggles to maintain hold on power; police fire on demonstrators CAIRO - Looted stores, torched cars and the stench of blazing tires filled the streets of Cairo early on Sunday as clashes persisted between police and protesters seeking to drive President Hosni Mubarak from power. The biggest immediate fear was of looting as public order broke down. Crowds stormed supermarkets, banks, jewelry shops and government buildings. Thieves at the Egyptian Museum damaged two mummies from the time of the pharaohs. "They are letting Egypt burn to the ground," said Inas Shafik, 35. On Saturday, the 82-year-old Mubarak, who has ruled Egypt for nearly three decades, bowed to protesters and named a vice president for the first time. In appointing intelligence chief Omar Suleiman to the new post, many saw Mubarak edging toward an eventual, army-approved handover of power. Many also saw it as ending his son Gamal's long-surmised ambitions to take over. But the move did little to appease demonstrators, who urged the army to join them in forcing Mubarak to quit. Police shot dead 17 people trying to attack two police stations at Beni Suef, south of Cairo, Reuters reported. Scores have been killed and more than 1,000 injured from several days of anti-government protests. Thousands marched in Cairo by day Saturday, unmolested by troops who manned tanks on the streets. After dark, police there opened fire in at least one incident, looters roamed for booty, and the national tax office was set ablaze. The capital descended further into chaos. NBC News' Richard Engel reported dramatic scenes of tanks and armored personnel carriers fanning out across the city of 18 million, guarding key government buildings. Looters and protesters, many smeared in red, filled the streets, Engel said. Residents of affluent neighborhoods were boarding up their houses against gangs of thugs roaming the streets with knives and sticks and gunfire was heard in some neighborhoods. Many communities have formed local militia to help protect their neighborhoods and streets from widespread violence, Al Jazeera reported. According to various estimates more than 100 people have been killed during the week, in the capital and other cities. Medical sources say more than 1,000 people were hurt in Cairo, according to Reuters. Among the dead were three policemen killed in the capital. State-run Nile TV reported early Sunday that about 1,000 inmates escaped from a prison in Fayoum, southwest of Cairo. The inmates were "on the streets causing chaos and families are scared," according to Nile TV, which said that several prison officers were killed in the uprising. National treasures The military was protecting major tourist and archaeological sites such as the Egyptian Museum, home to some of the country's most treasured antiquities, as well as the Cabinet building. The military closed the pyramids on the outskirts of Cairo - Egypt's premiere tourist site. Video: Protesters carry corpse through streets of Cairo Would-be looters broke into Cairo's famed Egyptian Museum, ripping the heads off two mummies and damaging about 10 small artifacts before being caught and detained by army soldiers, Egypt's antiquities chief said Saturday. Zahi Hawass said the vandals did not manage to steal any of the museum's antiquities, and that the prized collection was now safe and under military guard. Interactive: Mubarak timeline; view of protests The two-story museum, which is home to the gold mask of King Tutankhamun that draws millions of tourists a year, also houses thousands of artifacts spanning the full sweep of Egypt's rich pharaonic history. It is adjacent to the headquarters of the ruling National Democratic Party that protesters had earlier set ablaze. Flames were seen still pouring out of the party headquarters early Saturday. "I felt deeply sorry today when I came this morning to the Egyptian Museum and found that some had tried to raid the museum by force last night," said Hawass. "Egyptian citizens tried to prevent them and were joined by the tourism police, but some (looters) managed to enter from above and they destroyed two of the mummies," he said. He added looters had also ransacked the ticket office. 'Down with Mubarak' Thousands of protesters defied a government curfew for the second night Saturday, standing their ground in the main Tahrir Square in a resounding rejection of Mubarak's attempt to hang onto power with promises of reform and a new government. "What we want is for Mubarak to leave, not just his government," said Mohammed Mahmoud, a demonstrator in the square. "We will not stop protesting until he goes." A few tanks were deployed in Tahrir Square. But there have been no clashes reported between protesters and the military and many feel the army is with them. On one tank was scrawled in black graffiti: "Down with Mubarak." One army captain joined the demonstrators, who hoisted him on their shoulders while chanting slogans against Mubarak. The officer ripped a picture of the president. "We don't want him! We will go after him!" demonstrators shouted. They decried looting and sabotage, saying: "Those who love Egypt should not sabotage Egypt!" In contrast, protesters have attacked police, who are hated for their brutality. On Saturday, protesters besieged a police station in the Giza neighborhood of Cairo. They looted and pulled down Egyptian flags before burning the building to the ground. Cairo residents boarded up homes and set up neighborhood watches of citizens armed with guns, clubs and knives Saturday as looting and violence engulfed the capital.
I fear the consequences of a toppled government in Egypt. Not. Good. I have serious doubts over these citizens ability to implement a feasible and fair system in the wake of an overthrown govt.
that doesnt mean they should have the right to take their own country into there own hands you can justify oppression by saying the people are too stupid , by what i read here they sound pretty organized for a mob , setting up armed militias to guard neighborhoods , and opposition leaders are already planning the transition government if the revolt is a success
you just grew up on consumerism and happy meals. people can protect and provide for themselves without big corporation, followed by big government. powah to the people!
I can't tell you that. I'm not a mind reader. You are born and taught the social norms which you either follow or choose to ignore. But if i were to guess, i would say it's because government has gotten so large, there is no land you could even sustain without following the 'rules' in place and those rules benefit large corporation and government regulation. They're controlled by the rules in place, final answer.
Yeah, except for the small fact that these so called violent civilian looters just HAPPEN to be egyptian government hired and have been found carrying government issued ID's.