CAIRO: Bloody clashes between Egyptian demonstrators and riot police are well into their third day in the streets around Cairo's iconic Tahrir Square. In the rest of the city, however, it's life as usual. It is a strong symbol of just how much has – and hasn't – changed in Egypt since the 18-day uprising that overthrew the country's three-decade ruler and his regime barely 10 months ago. Some have compared the violence of the past three days to the beginning of the January uprising; but there are some marked differences. As the Egyptian uprising progressed, any sense of normalcy disappeared in the Egyptian capital, home to roughly 20 million people. In the past three days, most Cairenes outside the immediate vicinity of the clashes are going about their life as usual, with no indication that anything has changed. Egyptians now are also much more divided over the protests. Everyone is aware of the ongoing clashes in Tahrir, where reports say over 25 have been killed since Saturday morning. It's on the television, in the newspapers, consuming Egyptians on social media sites. The Arab League and the French and British governments have made statements. But many Egyptians just want to move on. Student Farida Ezzat, 21, told Youm7 that there seems to be a generational divide in Egyptians' reactions to the recent clashes. She said many of her peers support the demonstration and are trying to send medical supplies to Tahrir if they can't go themselves. But “the older generation is using the old terms,” she said; conspiracy theories and the ubiquitous ‘foreign hand' are behind the clashes. She said some Egyptians have lost interest, others believe state television – notorious for its anti-demonstration stances, and others “don't really want to stand up for the cause because they're letting their political beliefs get in the way.” “Or they're apathetic, which is worse,” she added. For parliamentary candidate Gameela Ismail, who has become a symbol of Egyptians' fight for freedom over the past decade, the few demonstrating in the square while the majority sits at home is more of the same. “[We] are always a minority and a small group that suffers for the majority,” she told Youm7. She said the same people who are sitting at home now are “the same 70 million who were sitting and watching, or were sometimes blaming those in Tahrir… who joined [the demonstrations] the day after Mubarak stepped down and were dancing in the street.” Ismail, a popular public figure, has suspended her campaign in protest against what she called the “criminal actions of the authorities.” She is running for the People's Assembly as an independent in Cairo's sixth district, which includes Tahrir Square and the surrounding areas. Yet for Ismail, the journey is more important than the destination. “Elections and winning a seat in parliament mean nothing if, on the journey to the seat, you give up the demands of the revolution,” Ismail told Youm7. Both Ismail and Ezzat said the violence of the last few days prove nothing has changed. “The military is treating this revolution as if it was just a car crash… as if it was a minor incident in Egypt's history,” said Ismail. She said they are using the same methods the former regime used. “They think they can deprive us Egyptians from the benefits we achieved during the revolution: the right to protest, to sit-in, to disagree,” said Ismail. "We're being treated like animals again," said Ezzat. "Politics aside… [this] should make us all postpone our differences and come together for [the] humanitarian cause.” Ezzat said she was against Friday's demonstration and the subsequent sit-in, but that Egyptians “must remain united if we're going to move forward.” Many Egyptians are worried the violence will delay upcoming parliamentary elections, scheduled to begin next Monday, and consequently that the entire transitional period will be delayed further. Ezzat believes the million-man demonstration called for tomorrow will be decisive in determining what will happen next. “We are not going to compromise,” said Ismail. Her statement echoes that of presidential hopeful Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh, an Islamist who under other circumstances would assumedly be in opposition to Ismail, a staunch liberal and secularist. Egypt is “ready to sacrifice new martyrs in order to protect the January 25 Revolution,” Aboul Fotouh said during a speech from Tahrir Square on Friday. Ismail said today that the continued violence against demonstrators has changed the dream of young Egyptians, which was once simply to buy a car, have a house, get married, and perhaps travel to the United States. Now, the message young people are sending to the authorities is clear, said Ismail: “The hope of young Egyptians today is to go to Tahrir, get injured, go to the hospital, and then, if you are still alive, you go back to Tahrir." “This injury symbolizes the hope of young Egyptians now.”
