Supporters of former president Mubarak remain active. But their numbers are quickly dwindling as more details on the corrupt practices of the former regime are uncovered, reports Khaled Dawoud Waking up a week ago to the sound of people chanting, "Come back [ousted president Hosni] Mubarak" and "Alaa [Mubarak] tell your father, the people of Egypt love you," was a bit like having a nightmare. It was not yet 8:30am, an unusual time for protests to start in Cairo. It must be a dream, I told myself. But as the chants grew louder I overcame my disbelief and went to my balcony which overlooks Abdeen Court, one of the oldest in downtown Cairo. Nearly 100 people were carrying pictures of the ousted president and banners reading "the people love president Hosni Mubarak". Quickly getting down to the street, I thought the court must be looking into one of the many cases lawyers, politicians and ordinary citizens have been filing, to no avail so far, accusing the former president and his family of corruption. It turned out that a lawyer, Samir Sabri, had filed a case demanding Mubarak's name, and that of his wife Suzanne, be removed from scores of schools, hospitals, streets and other public institutions. Mubarak supporters obviously opposed the case and demonstrated to demand the Higher Council of the Armed Forces honour its former commander-in-chief. It was pretty daring for the gradually diminishing group of supporters of the former president to protest downtown, away from their traditional stamping ground outside Mohandessin's Mustafa Mahmoud mosque. After the revolution broke out Mustafa Mahmoud Square became the point of gathering for Mubarak supporters. It took only minutes for an opposing demonstration to gather on the side walk opposite the court. They started chanting " harami, harami " (thief, thief) as they pointed at the pictures of Mubarak, and "the people want the trial of the murderer", referring to allegations that the former president was directly involved in ordering his interior minister, Habib El-Adli, to use live ammunition against protesters. Tensions were high as the two sides opposed each other. Supporters of Mubarak adopted slogans recalling his role as Air Force commander during the 1973 War against Israel and threw paper aeroplanes towards their opponents. In return, the counter demonstration tossed back empty water bottles. The few police officers in front of the court tried to separate the two sides and keep the traffic moving. But as the number of supporters of the 25 January Revolution grew police officers advised Mubarak supporters to move towards the square in front of Abdeen Palace. As they started marching a Mubarak supporter got involved in a heated argument with an opponent. The exchange soon descended into a fist fight. A number of Abdeen residents rushed to separate the two. "This is what the NDP people want," a young man told Al-Ahram Weekly. "They'd love to see us fight each other so that ordinary citizens come to hate the revolution. We should not allow this to happen." Charges that they were paid NDP agents infuriated the Mubarak supporters. "I'm not NDP," said one woman who showed her identity cards to prove she worked for the Education Department in Giza. "I'm here only to express my loyalty to Mubarak and to thank him for everything he did for his country." Most of those who took part in the pro- Mubarak protest were young university students who said they responded to a call posted on a Facebook page entitled "I'm sorry Mr President". "We are not against the revolution," said another woman approached by Al-Ahram Weekly. "We only want to assure that the former president will not be insulted." A young man listening to the conversation intervened and shouted "don't say a revolution. This is a setback. This is a disaster. Egyptians deserve nothing but to be beaten up with shoes". A student at a private university, the speaker said he was angry at the Egyptian people for shifting loyalties and not being grateful to Mubarak who served the country for 30 years. Mohamed El-Hilali, a lawyer, said he was presenting a counter case at the court which, he argued, had no mandate to remove Mubarak's name or that of his wife from the public domain. The Abdeen Court decided to adjourn the case until 14 April. Even some supporters of the 25 January Revolution thought the case against Mubarak unnecessary. "We already remove his name and pictures, and those of his wife, wherever we find them. We don't need a court order to do it," said Ali Abdel-Fattah, a government employee and a resident of Abdeen. He predicted that the number of Mubarak supporters "will diminish soon, and they won't dare to come out in his support as more and more details emerge of the corrupt system he and his family administered".
