CAIRO: On Qasr el-Aini street heading toward central Cairo's Tahrir Square barbed wire meets those attempting to traverse this main artery near the Egyptian Cabinet building. It was here, in December where rock throwing between police and protesters piqued. Today, it is blocked, armed riot police with shields ready wait patiently for any unrest. Turning left and into Garden City, the silence was deafening on Thursday evening. Streets were deserted as protesters faced barrage upon barrage of tear gas in downtown. Getting to Mansour Street – the pinnacle of the protests and tear gas – was proving surprisingly easy, despite the detour. Only a few blocks down this road, the entrance to the United States Embassy in Cairo complex is wide open. There are no soldiers guarding the entrance. The day before, uniformed police were checking IDs. On Thursday night, it was a calm passageway to Tahrir Square. The embassy itself was dark, revealing the lockdown in process. Embassy workers were nowhere to be seen. On the edge of the embassy, the military and security presence was massive, APCs lining the road and soldiers fully geared moving to and fro. They were the reinforcements for police attacking protesters on Mansour Street. After leaving the embassy complex, we are met with lines of ambulances and Omar Makram mosque, which has been turned into a makeshift field hospital to care for the injured facing the police head on. Up ahead, the chants and sounds of people are heard in Tahrir, thousands have gathered in support of the protesters risking injury a few streets away. In many ways, it's a festival atmosphere. Carts are lined up on all sides of the square, selling tea, couscous and an assortment of other goodies, belaying the reality so close. Moving through the crowds onto Tahrir Street, the situation changes dramatically. Motorcycles are pushing through the masses, ambulances rushing behind, attempting to reach the frontlines to assist the injured. On each side of the street are hundreds of people, some with flags, others taking a breather from inside, their eyes reddened from the exposure to American-made tear gas. On the corner of Tahrir Street and Bab el-Louk square a man holds a sign telling protesters of the makeshift field hospital set up. The injured, battered and dehydrated, refuel. There is not respite for them as they prepare to return to the frontlines in the battle for control of Mansour street. We keep moving, into the square, where the crowds seem to increase even more. People attempting to grab a view of the chaos inside stand on bricks, on sidewalks. Ambulances fight for space in the crowd to get to the frontlines. The sounds of tear gas being fired echo in the very near distance. At Mansour street we take a right, the street is darkened, but not nearly as crowded. Ahead, hundreds of Egyptians are battling the tear gas to maintain their positions as police continue their attacks. The smoke of tear gas is overwhelming. The crowd pushes back, men and women cover their face. The piercing pain hits the eyes. You want to rub, but knowing that only makes the pain increase, arms are pushed into pockets. Once the barrage subsides, we return, taking in the scene. Police, their APCs and tear gas launchers on shoulders only a short distance away, readied and aimed at unarmed protesters. This is Mansour Street. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/KNVOp Tags: featured, Mansour Street, SCAF, Tahrir, Tear-gas Section: Editor's choice, Egypt, Features, Latest News
