Egypt: Sixth Day of Uprising Tweeted · Global Voices
Hisham Almiraat

This post is part of our special coverage of Egypt Protests 2011.
The Egyptian protesters have been defying the night curfew on Sunday, as they continued demonstrating against the 30 year-old rule of Muhammed Hosni Mubarak. In a dramatic day that saw the closure by the Egyptian government of the Al Jazeera TV network's bureau in Cairo, the rapidly changing situation on the ground was largely relayed by social media networks on the Internet, especially on the micro-blogging platform Twitter.
For the sixth day in a row, and in a stark defiance to threatening messages beaming out of state TV, warning that any violation of the night curfew would be met with “severe punishment,” marchers gathered in Tahrir (Liberation) Square in central Cairo. The sequence of events was followed minute by minute by tweeters on the ground.
As the first demonstrators started pouring in toward the main Square, Lyse Doucet (@bbclysedoucet) notes:
army now checking everyone entering Tahrir Square ..long queues forming..very orderly.. #Jan25 #Egypt
Tom Trewinnard (@Tom_El_Rumi) confirms:
Army stopping people entering Tahrir from Qasr el Nil and Qasr el Aini, they weren't doing this yesterday. #jan25 #incaironow
With the start of the night curfew approaching, people noted the massive deployment of the army in downtown Cairo. The Police was nowhere to be seen as Evan Hill (@evanchill) tweets:
Some notes on what I've seen so far: Absolutely no police presence on the streets. Army is out in downtown Cairo, so far nonviolent. #jan25
@monasosh confirms:
Call from friend in tahrir square,Army is now blocking all entrances to it gradually gaining more power 2 control in/out flow of ppl #Jan25
The troops deployment is intimidating according to Jonathan Rugman (@jrug) who tweets:
Several APCs mounted with machine guns now. People debating whether to continue uprising or not. #c4news
Minutes after the midday prayer, tweeps started describing huge gatherings gradually forming in different spots in the capital. Protesters didn't seem to be impressed by the troops deployment as Wael Abbas (@waelabbas) writes:
It was only a matter of hours before protesters reoccupied the central square of the capital. @jrug again tweets:
Demonstrators are back in Freedom Square – say they won't stop until Mubarak goes. A few hundred pausing for prayer. #c4news
Amr El Beleidy (@beleidy) hopes the military will not stand in the way of demonstrators. He re-tweets:
I hope you win your bet RT @mand0z: I have my money on Military neutrality today as well. #Jan25
Yassin (@abususu) is within protesters. He tweets:
had amazing encounters w protesters, spirits still high, at least in cairo central. #egypt #jan25
Protesters kept coming despite rumors of looting and chaos across the city. Sarah El Sirgany (@Ssirgany) tweets:
One of DNE's[Daily News Egypt] trusted commentators suggested govt is spreading news of chaos so protesters focus on their safety and leave streets.
She adds:
The idea is for protests to lose momentum as people leave to protect homes. #jan25
Later Sarah tweets:
The feeling at the office is that the worst is yet to come in terms of govt response to protesters. #jan25 #egypt #mubarak
But protesters remain confident. Ayman Mohyeldin (@AymanM) tweets:
Thousands of protesters at #Tahrir Square still empowered, confident & remain defiant in demands and chants #egypt #jan25 (viaphone)
Hossam Hamalawy (@3arabawy) tweets:
The curfew the army imposed is meaningless. We break it every night by continuing our protests in Tahrir.
Roberto (@mrdalloway85) can see Tahrir Square from afar. He tweets:
Tahrir square at 1:25 pm crowds gathering alledgedly for a funeral. Hearing some chanting #Jan25 #Cairo #25Jan http://twitpic.com/3utxon
He takes this picture:
Picture by mrdalloway85 posted in TwitPic
This time around people from all walks of life join the demonstration. Wael Abbas (@waelabbas) tweets:
عاجل : مئات القضاة يعلنون الانضمام لمظاهرة التحرير
Minutes prior to the start of the curfew, the atmosphere is tense. Ben Wedeman (@bencnn ) tweets:
Cairo tense as curfew approaches. Begins in 25 min. Men, boys on almost every corner with sticks and knives. Looters beware. #Jan25 #Egypt
Then Mubarak sent out his helicopters and fighter jets in an attempt the scare protesters off the Liberation Square.
Amr El Beleidy (@beleidy) tweets:
Helicopters are all over the place circling the sky #Jan25 Egypt
Later he writes:
I am back online! I am seeing and hearing fighter jets circling the sky, the sound is scary #Jan25 Egypt
Lyse Doucet tweets:
fighter jets just screamed by . #Jan25 #egypt
Evan Hill tweets:
Jets just did another fly-by, even lower and louder. Sending a nice signal there. #jan25
Tom Trewinnard tweets:
Fighter planes flying repeatedly over Tahrir, deafening noise #jan25 #incaironow
Ayman Mohyeldin tweets:
2 #egyptian airforce fighter planes currently flying above crowds at #Tahrir Square, defiant chants and roars from protesters #jan25 (phone)
Dan Nolan (@nolanjazeera) tweets:
One man points to jets & tells me “is Hosni crazy, is he going to bomb us?” #Egypt
Lara Setrakian (@LaraABCNews) tweets:
Fighter jets were joined by helicopters, which flew so low they were below my 8th storey window and swooped over Tahrir Square #Jan25
But the spirit among the protesters remains high, as Amr El Beleidy (@beleidy) tweets:
Tahrir Square is happening! People are gathering there, morale is high, army is friendly and letting people in #Jan25 Egypt
Sharif Kouddous (@sharifkouddous) agrees:
While lack of security is cause for concern, it's leading to more solidarity among the people & increasing hatred for regime #Egypt
Noha Atef (@NohaAtef) tweets:
#OnlyinEgypt People laugh & make fun of the dictator even if he send military jets to fly over their heads n Tahrir :D (via @alaa ) #jan25
Protesters camped in the square. As the night falls Noha Atef describes the scene:
Now Muslims protesters r praying in Tahrir SQ, while Christians r protecting them, you can hear ‘Ameen’ very loudly! #jan25 #Egypt
Three hours into the curfew, Mohamed ElBaradei, a Nobel peace laureate and retired diplomat, joins protesters in Tahrir Square. Ayman Mohyeldin (@AymanM) writes:
#ElBaradei has arrived at Tahrir Square, huge crowd gathers around him #egypt #jan25 (via phone)
Amr El Beleidy writes:
@tarekshalaby: ElBaradei cannot be heard as there is no mic, but priority for proximity is given to journalists #Jan25 Egypt
Late in the night Ayman Mohyeldin writes:
#egypt number of protesters dwindling down at Tahrir Square but atmosphere of defiance not waning #jan25
#egypt remaining protesters at Tahrir Square huddle around campfires chatting and getting to know each other #jan25
But there is still cause for caution as the night deepens. It's around midnight in Cairo. Evan Hill (@evanchill) tweets:
Atmosphere is tense [In Tahrir Square]. Army keeping people more confined. Some gunshots nearby. #jan25
This post is part of our special coverage of Egypt Protests 2011.