Thousands of Egyptians in demo

AFP > Egyptian demonstrators protest in central Cairo to demand the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak and calling for reforms on January 25, 2011.

CAIRO, Tuesday

Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Cairo today, facing a massive police presence, to demand the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak in a protest inspired by Tunisia’s popular uprising.

Despite some 20,000 to 30,000 police being deployed in the centre of the capital, demonstrators broke police barriers to march towards central Tahrir Square, and police fired tear gas in an attempt to disperse them.

Carrying Egyptian flags and chanting anti-government slogans, the protestors temporarily withdrew but quickly regrouped.

In a nearby road that leads to parliament, police sprayed water cannons as protesters threw stones. Some protesters managed to comandeer a riot police truck and drive it for a few metres. A security official said around 15,000 people were demonstrating in the capital.

Protests also broke out in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, the Nile Delta cities of Mansura and Tanta and in the southern cities of Aswan and Assiut, witnesses said.

Protesters across the country chanted “Down with Mubarak” and held signs that read “Tunisia is the solution.” Thousands gathered in Alexandria, Egypt’s second-largest city, a security official said. (AFP)