Column: At the protests in Tahrir

CAIRO ­­— Two friends and I went to the massive, anti-Mohamed Morsi protests Tuesday in Tahrir Square.

We couldn’t find the words to make a comparison.

We took a taxi to the square. The three of us are American, but we met with two adult male Egyptians whom a friend of mine had met last weekend at the protests.

They served as our shepherds through the square as it filled with tens of thousands of people.

Camera crews hung over balconies of apartments in the buildings surrounding us.

Tenants have been renting them out for around $5,000 per day.

We could see the burnt scarring on the building where Al Jazeera’s office had been set ablaze a few days ago.

The main gate to American University was charred and surrounded by rubble, since it lies on one of the main streets of the fighting.

The revolutionary street art, made famous during the Arab Spring, has been painted over nearly every day with new graffiti.

Now, it features those who have died in the most recent protests. A shrine near the center of the square features the names of martyrs and flowers strewn in front of it.
On side streets, dozens of ambulances waited.

The only word we could think of while we were there was “crazy.” It was insanity.

Vendors everywhere sold food, drinks, newspapers, flags, teargas and Guy Fawkes masks.

People walked around painting Egyptian flags on others’ faces.

The longer we stayed, the more crowded it got.

A sea of people filled not only the square but the bridges leading toward the island where our dormitory is located.

There were more people than we could see. Fighting spontaneously broke out on the side streets.

In the main square protesters chanted, “Bread, freedom, social justice.” Their voices echoed off the buildings.

The same chant was used during the Revolution.

For the most part, the protest didn’t feel hostile, and that was perhaps most surprising.

The other girl and I faced less harassment there than we do on typical Cairo streets. Egyptians helped us if they noticed we looked lost.

The people were furious, but not at each other. They were furious only at Morsi.

Morsi has shown no signs of budging in his latest constitutional decree, and people protest and continue to demand that he step down.

Although he met with judges to try to compromise, they didn’t reach a solution. The Cairo judges have gone on strike in response.

The people call the president Mohamed Morsi Mubarak, attaching him to the old regime.

Tahrir Square was crazy, but just streets away, you wouldn’t know anything was happening. The rest of the city was silent.

Outside of Tahrir, Cairo was essentially shut down. Schools were closed, and most people did not go to work.

The area where we live was quieter than I’d ever heard it in my waking hours. There wasn’t even the continuous sound of incessant honking.

Everyone was either at home or at Tahrir.

The Muslim Brotherhood postponed its own protest in hopes of curbing any violent clashes between groups. As night falls, we’ll see if that hope remains true.

Things are changing here. No one knows what Morsi is going to do.

Will he refuse to back down, or will the people force him out?

Do they have the energy to commit another overthrow, or are they too tired?

All we can do is wait and see.    

­— hannsmit@indiana.edu