Yemen: Crowds Call for Saleh to Step Down in Sanaa  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

This post is part of our special coverage Yemen Protests 2011.
Thousands of protesters have gathered in Change Square, in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, to call on President Ali Abdulla Saleh to step down. The protests are going strong in what is being described as The Friday of Departure and the army has reportedly fired gunshots in the air to stop pro-regime protesters from clashing with pro-democracy demonstrators.
Thousands of Yemenis in Change Square in Sanaa
Last Friday was the bloodiest since anti-Saleh protests started in Yemen more than two months ago.
Here are the latest reactions from Twitter:
@lcmarshal: #Protesters enter Sanaa's “Change Square” in #Yemen Capital http://ping.fm/p4Tel
@Nefermaat: shots by the army are not at Change Sq, but at the periphery of the protest area… #Sanaa #Yemen #yf so far, just warning, nothing happened
@fbess: Army draws the line. Instead of bashing heads (option 1) the Yemeni army has chosen to stand by the people in the interest of #Yemen.
@fbess: In comes the army! Yemeni armed forces are preventing regime loyalists from attacking the people. #Yemen
@fbess: The hour of conceding is too late. President Saleh's own tribe calls on him to resign echoing the people's demand: STEP DOWN. #Yemen
@fbess: Sweet. I see protesters in Sanaa took a pg out of the Tahrir Sq book, citizens set up checkpoints for demonstrators. #Yemen
@khadijapatel: Saleh is taking a leaf out of Gaddafi's book, alleging the opposition are drug dealers. #Yemen
@sunnysingh_sw6: #Yemen's Saleh trying to stay on: says opposition are small minority, criminals, drug dealers http://goo.gl/XRRYY What no nescafe drinkers?
@Dory_Eryani: president Saleh accused the protesters of being drug dealers..sounds familiar? #yemen #libya #egypt #freedom #world @nytimes #25jan
@AhmadHKh: Regime in #Yemen is saying the protesters are Hothi supporters & drug dealers .. Rightttttt can't you even be creative?
@youssefsalah: Come on #Yemen ! You are 4,000 years old and you deserve something better than Ali Abdullah Saleh
@fbess: Constitution is suspended, arrests are arbitrary, and protests are banned under the state of emergency. #Yemen
@Dory_Eryani: WE Don't want #WAR we dont want SALEH we want #peace and #democracy!!!!!we want a better #YEMEN ! #freedom
@alguneid: Last Friday (Dignity) #Saleh was happy trigger.This Friday (Departure),he is happy spender. #Yemen #yf
@befroggled: Last Friday of March, and we're waiting for a dictator to fall this month. They have a history of leaving on Fridays #Yemen? #Libya
@kxsar: is ununstalling of #Yemen president coming to an succesfull end after his speech today? when Gaddafi will step down from #Libya?
This post is part of our special coverage Yemen Protests 2011.