State TV announced that AlJazeera permits have been withdrawn, and is prevented from operating in the whole country. The signal of the Arabic channel on NileSat has been cut. New frequencies have been announced by AlJazeera so people can tune to the new frequences. However, I can still see them broadcasting live from Tahrir Square in Cairo on a North American satellite.
AlJazeera showing military fighter jets and helicopters buzzing on low altitude over the protesters. The protesters raised their voice shouting anti-regime and anti-Mubarak slogans in defiance as these flew by.
A group of reporters in Al Ahram newspaper, the main regime mouthpiece, have signed a petition for Mubarak to step down, and military rule to end. So some in regime controlled establishment have shifted to side with the people.
Hundreds of judges have joined the protests today. State TV denounced them as having political ambitions.
Some Azhar scholars have joined the protests. The State TV's reaction has dismissed them as having "religious leanings".
My brother has a shift in the street neighborhood watch committee from 6 pm to midnight. He sees this self-organizing and how people are cooperating and helping each other and protecting each other, and weeps with emotion.
He told me about courts being torched (meaning court cases are lost). The same goes for the Traffic Department in Moharam Bey, torched (meaning all car licenses).
He reiterated that the hated Mabaheth (intelligence) police and Amn El Dawla (State Security) are the ones who are burning and looting, to hide evidence that incriminates them.
There is still no internet, so I logged to his email account and read his business email subjects to him. None were important and he has not logged in since Jan 27.
A sister in law told me that before the police withdrew, 3 police officers were killed by slitting their throat in Gomrok neighborhood.
Three different sources have confirmed that the police officers were given an open ended vacation. This is either for army and police not to clash on the streets (different orders, different chain of command), or more sinisterly: a deliberate attempt by Nero to allow the Rome to burn.
A cousin has told me that this is now a new Egypt. The citizens have self organized and are running the country independently. They need no government!
This is certainly a new Egypt in the making! The people have found their voice, overcome fear, and will see it through. Mubarak is finished. Just a matter of when and how he will fall.
Most Comments
Most commented on articles ...