[EGYPT] Police Rush Demonstrators in Cairo, 25/01/2011


The 2011 Egyptian protests are a continuing series of street demonstrations taking place throughout Egypt from January 2011 onwards, with organizers counting on the Tunisian uprising to inspire the crowds to mobilize. The demonstrations and riots were reported to have started over police brutality, State of emergency laws, unemployment, desire to raise the minimum wage, lack of housing, food inflation, corruption, lack of freedom of speech and poor living conditions. The protests main goal is to oust President Hosni Mubarak who has been in power for more than 30 years. While localized protests were already commonplace in previous years, major protests and riots erupted all over the country starting on 25 January, known as the “Day of Anger”, the date set by Egyptian opposition groups and others for a major demonstration. The 2011 protests have been called “unprecedented” for Egypt, and “some of the most serious civil unrest in recent memory” in the country. Hosni Mubarak presidency: President Hosni Mubarak has ruled Egypt since 1981. His government, which has been criticized in the media and amongst NGOs, is supported by the United States because of his “persecution of the Islamists generally supportive of Israel.” As a result, the initial reactions to Hosni Mubarak’s abuses by the US were muted, and most instances of socio-political protest in the country, when they occurred at all, rarely made major news headlines. Corruption: While in office, political corruption in