The fifth day of Egyptian demonstrations ended in Egypt much as the previous four did: no regime change and thousands of Egyptians on the streets defying a government imposed curfew. Reports continue to pour in from the street that have many onlookers worried that the already high death toll may continue to rise to unprecedented numbers. On Saturday, despite a curfew beginning at 4 pm, Egyptian demonstrators took their protest movement on the offensive, braving gun fire, tear gas and violence to protest in front of the ministry of interior. Reports from the scene are anything but harrowing, with one reporter saying lines of people would brave the live fire and march toward the ministry, only to return with blood and wounds, in a Gandhi-like protest against state tyranny. Protesters in Egypt are not being deterred by violence, and are pushing on with widespread demands that President Hosni Mubarak and his newly sworn in cabinet resign and leave the country to an interim government. “We will not stop until all of Mubarak's government is gone. Violence will not stop us,” one protester near the scene told Bikya Masr via a brief telephone conversation. However, it appears from eye witnesses and reporters on the ground that police at the ministry building opened fire on demonstrators, killing them in what could be large numbers. Some reported seeing two or three bodies carried away hourly. Elsewhere in the past 24 hours, Al Jazeera English has reported that over 100 people have been killed in violence. The death toll is likely to continue to rise as protesters ignore a curfew established by the government. Eyewitnesses are reporting live gunfire across Egypt, in the capital Cairo, Alexandria, Suez and in southern Egypt. Friday was the largest day in Egyptians struggle to oust Mubarak from power, which began on January 25. Some estimates put the number of protesters in the Egyptian capital Cairo at around 300,000, while elsewhere across the country tens of thousands of demonstrators voiced their anger at the regime that has been in power since 1981. “Down with Mubarak” and “You are not welcome here” were only two of the handful of chants protesters levied at the aging authoritarian leader during the day, while the president spoke to the nation, and after when the country was allegedly under curfew. Thousands of other demonstrators have been reported to have been injured in violent clashes with the police. Citizens are also fearful of growing looting and neighborhood “watch” groups that have become armed with bats, knives and even guns in order to force alleged looters away from local areas. are worried the army is not intervening and the disposed police have been blamed by protesters as the main instigators of the attacks on private spaces, including homes, museums and even banks. In Masr el-Gedida, a northern Cairo area, one elderly woman told Bikya Masr of how her entire building was ordered to evacuate the premises, but they didn't know why exactly. “My nephew who is a police officer took out his gun and fired shots in the air and they got scared and fled the area,” said the eyewitness concerning the incident. “They are looting everything and state TV is saying that they are even looting the Children's Cancer Hospital,” which Al Jazeera also reported. The government of President Hosni Mubarak, who remains obstinate in keeping his post, has claimed the looting is an act of violence and the security would crackdown on the protesters “in order to maintain order.” However, eyewitnesses reported that one plain clothed man attempted to loot and destroy private property, and when confronted he was shot. Bystanders then took his identification out and revealed that he was a police officer, leaving a number of demonstrators to argue that the government has told police to instigate looting and unrest. Saturday saw largely peaceful demonstrators, as the army attempted to maintain some sort of order. In one Al Jazeera video, a soldier is seen telling the crowd that he would “take off his uniform” and join the protesters, but that they must leave the area at night so the military can maintain peace. According to CNN's Ben Wederman, neighborhood protection groups aiming to combat looting are “wearing white arm bands in Cairo,” adding that “people are getting organized to end chaos and looting.” ** Joseph Mayton contributed to this report. BM
