Live blog Feb 2 - Egypt protests | Al Jazeera Blogs

By Al Jazeera Staff inon February 1st, 2011.



From our headquarters in Doha, we keep you updated on all things Egypt, with reporting from Al Jazeera staff in Cairo, Alexandria, and Suez.
(All times are local in Egypt, GMT+2)

5:34pm Al Jazeera receiving photos and videos from people in Egypt. see yourmedia.aljazeera.net

5:30pm Google launches a "Crisis Response" project and have a team updating it with information from the protests in Egypt. Tools, information, resources and more available.

5:26pm David Cameron, the British prime minister, says that it would be unacceptable for the Egyptian government to be supporting violence in any way.

5:23pm Al Jazeera showing pictures of people standing on roofs of buildings and throwing stones and other large items on the anti-government protesters below.

5:15pm Mohamed ElBaradei, an Egyptian opposition figure, calls on the the army to intervene as pro-Mubarak group continues attack on group that has been protesting in Tahrir Square.
Mubarak has to step down ... no one wants him in Egypt. Egyptian people regained their dignity and will not turn back.
5:11pm Female anti-government protester telling Al Jazeera that they cannot leave the square even if she wanted to - she is crying on air and sounds very scared and emotional.

5:07pm Al Jazeera's web producer in Cairo says that a number of people are being hit by rocks and anti-government demonstrators are also being targeted from buildings above.
They are throwing Molotov cocktails at the anti-Mubarak protesters. The army has backed off from the Corniche - they used to have a few tanks on the beachfront road, but they have pulled out now.
4:51pm Gunshots heard live on Al Jazeera and reports of pro-Mubarak groups taking over three army vehicles.

4:36pm Ali Jomaa, the Grand Mufti of Egypt, tells all Egyptians to go home.
I greet President Mubarak who offered dialogue and responded to the demands of the people. Going against legitimacy is forbidding (Haram).
This is an invitation for chaos. We support stability. What we have now is a blind chaos leading to a civil war. I call on all parents to ask their children to stay home.
4:21pm Female anti-government protester telling Al Jazeera that they cannot leave the square even if she wanted to - she is crying on air and sounds very scared and emotional. Telling Al Jazeera not to refer to the pro-government group as "demonstrators" because they are actually "violent thugs".

4:14pm Al Jazeera's web producer sends through a picture of the camel that was brought in by pro-government supporters and used to charge at the anti-government demonstrators.



4:00pm Picture being uploaded onto twitter, showing people wounded by pro-government supporters.



3:56pm Graph depicting levels of Egyptian internet traffic after the week long outage.



3:53pm The EU announces that they urge Mubarak to speed the process of government transition asap. Meanwhile the Muslim Brotherhood announces that they want Mubarak to step down now rather than September.

3:48pm Pictures of the horses being posted by journalists on twitter. (source: Pro mubarak supporters arriving on horseback. Moving towards ... on Twitpic)



3:27pm Al Jazeera reporting that more than 100 people have been injured in the past hour after suspected government supporters, including plain clothed policemen, entered Tahrir Square and attacked anti-Mubarak demonstrators.

3:22pm Protesters in Tahrir Square shows the Al Jazeera camera the ID cards of accused plain clothed security (police ID) who came in earlier to create chaos.



3:20pm Al Jazeera web producer in Tahrir Square says at least two camera crews (neither from Al Jazeera) being chased by mobs yelling "Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera!"

3:17pm Al Jazeera correspondents in Tahrir Square says that the pro-government mob is chanting slogans against Al Jazeera and apparently trying to find them. Reports of at least one Al-Arabiya correspondent being stabbed.

3:13pm Ahmed Moor, a demonstrator talking to Al Jazeera from the square, says:
Pro-government supporters on horses and one camel entered the square and charged the anti-Mubarak protesters. Some of them were pulled off the horses, and the pro-government supporters exchanged rock throwing with the demonstrators.
2:59pm Men on horseback and camels have entered Tahrir Square - not sure who they are. The army and soldiers are not intervening as of yet.

2:49pm Reports of anti-government supporters calling on the military to intervene. Al Jazeera's correspondent says that at least 15 people have been injured, but numbers expected to be much higher.


2:41pm Jane Dutton, Al Jazeera's reporter in Cairo, said that the clashes are continuing:
Hundreds of anti-government supporters were running from the square, including many women and children.
2:38pm Al Jazeera correspondent saying that many people injured in stampede that started when clashes began between pro and anti-government demonstrators.
It's a very tense stand-off here - it is far from over!
2:30pm Al Jazeera showing live pictures of clashes in Tahrir Square between pro and anti-government demonstrators. Watch live here - Al Jazeera English: Live Stream - Watch Now - Al Jazeera English

2:10pm Some 10,000 pro-Mubarak demonstrators gathered in central Cairo, one of our web producers reports.