The signs I saw read: "In solidarity with the Egyptian rage revolution", "30 years is enough", "Fair elections", "Constitutional reform", "US backed Mubarak dictatorship", "Obama: Democracy or Hypocrisy?", "America! Support the Egyptian people! Not the regime!" A shy little girl ran away as I tried to capture her sign on my cell phone: "Let the people live".
A young man, with the red, white and black Egyptian flag draped about his shoulders, told me he has been able to talk to his friends and family in Egypt only a few times since the regime cut off cell phone, Facebook, and Twitter services. I asked him what it is the protesters want. He basically said they want democracy. Opposition parties are effectively barred from power in Egypt. It is illegal to "insult" President Mubarak. All important government buildings must have a mural of Mubarak's visage.
Mubarak is getting ready to hand power over to his son. "His son is like 40, so if his son takes power we could face another 40 years of this."
"That sounds like monarchy, not democracy," I said.
"Exactly."
The protesters want Mubarak to leave, and then they want fair elections in which not just Mubarak's party can participate, and not just Mubarak is guaranteed to win. Egyptians are tired of the same "bullshit" every year, the same corruption, the same problems with unemployment and poverty, he said. Egypt is a rich country, he said, but the wealth and U.S. foreign aid is hoarded by a small segment of rich society; 50% of the people without political connections to the ruling party are in poverty. He has friends with college degrees who can't find jobs, and live homeless on the streets. "But Mubarak doesn't want to leave, because he's afraid they will try him as a criminal once he loses power."
What about the Muslim Brotherhood, I asked. "Egypt is a country of 80 million people. The Muslim Brotherhood has like 10 thousand members. Every country has extremists."
He said the protesters in Egypt are primarily a democratic youth movement, but the regime is trying to portray them as violent criminals and radical Islamists to the rest of the world. The regime deliberately withdrew police protection from neighborhoods and the National Museum, which contains priceless artifacts of Egyptian heritage. "The youths are smart. They got whatever weapons they could, sticks and knives, and protected their own neighborhoods against criminals. If they don't know you, you aren't allowed into their neighborhood. They locked arms outside the National Museum to keep out looters. They know that protecting Egyptian heritage and keeping the peace is important to the revolution." Some of the looters were cornered by citizens and found to have undercover police identification, he said.
"The Mubarak regime is sending the same message it has been sending for 30 years. The message is: 'without me, this is what Egypt will get. The country will be taken over by criminals and extremists. Egypt needs me.'" But in reality, this either-or choice between a dictator and extremists is just fear-mongering by the Mubarak regime, he said.
Why has the U.S. supported the dictatorship in Egypt? "To other countries, Mubarak is great. He gives them the impression he's a humanitarian. But to Egyptians, he's terrible."
