It all started with an idea. Then that idea became a Facebook wall post, which turned into a group. The group later spread through the internet like an epidemic, taking over Twitter, Myspace and the computer screens of most Egyptians. That wall post turned into so much more than Egyptians talking about a protest date; it turned into the 2011 Egyptian revolution.
After watching Tunisia’s success, 30 years of unexpressed rage led the Egyptians to the streets to fight for the departure of their president, Hosnia Mubarak. Unlike Tunisia’s serene environment, however, this revolution turned into a roller coaster. On some days the downs seemed hopeless, on others the ups seemed promising, and as of today, the Egyptians can finally say they earned the freedom they deserve.
On January 25, around one million people gathered at Tahrir Square in Cairo to hold up signs and protest for their president to leave. Mubarak has been in power for 30 years and though his term ends in September, Egyptians feared he would re-elect himself again, or even put his son in power.
“I lived through the revolution in 1952, 1967, and in 1972, but I’ve never seen a revolution like this,” Mohamed Fahmy, a writer for one of the Egyptian radio stations said. “At 3pm on the 26th, I looked outside my window and I realized that this was the first revolution that the people were actually getting involved, that this is real.”
While the beginning of the revolution seemed promising, the government devised countless schemes to attempt to lure the Egyptians out of the streets and back into their houses.
The police was responsible for about 100 Egyptian deaths; when they were not shooting them or violently attacking them, they were carelessly running them over with their cars. On January 26th, they opened all jailhouses and let the prisoners roam the streets to burn and steal whatever they wanted. Then, in the midst of all the chaos, they left the country, taking with them any sense of security that the Egyptians had.
But the Egyptian people are strong willed and didn’t let that act stop them from going out again to protest.
“I wasn’t afraid that there was no police because all the young people in the neighborhoods would stand outside and take responsibility to defend building, cars, and stores,” Fahmy said.
Still, this uprising caused countless buildings to be burnt down and artifacts from the Egyptian museum were stolen.
Finally, on the 28th, Mubarak promised to end his term in September. While half of the country celebrated, the other half wanted him gone sooner and so the protests continued.
That’s when things took a turn for the worst. On the next day, “Pro Mubarak” protesters entered Tahrir Square with the intention of killing anyone who wanted Mubarak out.
An estimated number of 500 people died that day.
The media is a big factor Egypt. In fact, since the revolution was born from the Internet, the government cut down Egypt’s Internet connection for the first few days.
But since the only news broadcasts that Egypt had access to were those controlled by the government, most Egyptians were completely oblivious to the fact that this was just another one of the government’s plots. The countries outside of Egypt discovered that these people weren’t really “Pro Mubarak” they were just paid to pretend to be.
On February 1st, Mubarak came out with a speech claiming how much he loved the country and how without him there would be nothing but chaos. This led to some Egyptians switching sides.
But the rest of the citizens became more dedicated than ever. Events like “Youm el Khadab,” Arabic for “angry Friday” and “the million people march” marked the highest points of the revolution.
“I think it’s terrible that after 30 years of lies some people decided to finally believe him,” junior Taylor Cunningham said. “But I’m really proud of the people who kept on protesting.”
Fortunately for the Egyptians, the army was on their side. When they [the army] first came into the picture, Egyptians exploded into a fit of applause and the troops were overwhelmed with hugs and kisses. Throughout the revolution, they constantly watched over the Egyptian protesters, defending them from any “Pro-Mubarak” citizens and setting up systems where people had to be checked before entering Tahrir Square.
And success was soon attained. On Februally 11, 2011 the vice President told the public that Mubarak will be ending his turn. This day will forever be in scripted in Egyptians hearts as the day they won their freedom. Instead of the usual fighting and screaming that dominated Tahrir square, a new sense of acquired relief and happiness filled the air. Egyptians continued their night on the street, dancing and singing.
“I’m so proud of the Egyptians,” sophomore Jenna Buowkamp said. “They wanted something, and they went and they got it. That was really inspiring.”
As of now, the army will take over until a democratic election is held. Schools will start again on the 21, jobs are slowly coming back into play, and after eighteen days of protests, the country can finally begin to re-institute itself.