John Minchillo

EGYPT: Days of Unrest

Protestors against the 30-year reign of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak took to the streets around Tahrir Square on January 25th, 2011, in a peaceful demonstration that quickly took a violent turn. Loosely organized through Facebook and Twitter, the young and old brought chants and marches to the square and were soon engulfed in tear gas.

Violence escalated in the ensuing weeks that brought the Egyptian Army and tanks into the square, pro-Mubarak supporters roaming the streets with sticks and clubs, and massive battles that took the lives of many.

The protestors refused to vacate Tahrir Square until Mubarak stepped down and resulted in a standoff between entrenched government forces and those yearning for a new day in Egypt.

Hosni Mubarak, under pressure and lacking options, stepped down on February 11th, 2011.

A protestor hit by a shotgun blast by police winces in pain in a mosque-turned-triage hospital in Cairo, Egypt, January 29th, 2011. The hospital was further hobbled by the mass of protestors pressing to see the victims, causing crowding and noise problems.
   
Protestors beat the likeness of President Hosni Mubarak with their shoes as they chant slogans against his government in Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, January 30th, 2011. Many protestors are awaiting his resignation and vow to occupy the square until their demands are met.
   
A protestor takes shelter from falling stones under a sheet of cardboard in Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, February 2nd, 2011. Civilain support teams brought water, food, and ammunition to the front lines as the battles raged.
     
  
Protestors hold up the bloody shirt of a man shot by police forces in Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, January 29th, 2011. Triage hospitals were overrun by injured as doctors were unprepared for the surge of patients.
   
Crowds stall armor movements in Tahrir square, as many units are called in to defend banks and government buildings across the city in Cairo, Egypt, January 29th, 2011. Some units were called in to control clashes in sidestreets off of the main square.
   
Police launched volley after volley of tear gas canisters into crowds outside of Tahrir Square in a bid to hold the city center in Cairo, Egypt, January 28th, 2011.
     
  
An anti-Mubarak protestor briefly fled the barricades during a skirmish with pro-government groups in Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, February 2nd, 2011. Pro-government forces closed in on the square from every direction, choking off exits and preventing protestors from leaving.
   
Protestors threw stones while police responded with rubber bullets and tear gas during clashes in Cairo, Egypt, January 28th, 2011. Police attempted to prevent a mass convergence of protestors marching towards Tahrir Square from around the city.
   
A protestor is carried through a backstreet to a makeshift hospital after being hit by buckshot fired by police in Cairo, Egypt, January 28th, 2011.
     
  
A man lost his eye by rubber bullets fired by police in Cairo, Egypt, January 28th, 2011. Intermittent reports of live shotgun ammunition being used on the crowds started in the late afternoon and was confirmed after dark.
   
A man lies unconscious after having his wounds dressed in Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, February 2nd, 2011. A makeshift triage hospital within a mosque met with a steady stream of head and bone injuries resulting from the clashes.
   
Muslim protestors paused during the clashes to pray outside the Ramses Hilton in downtown in Cairo, Egypt, January 28th, 2011. The police did not launch gas or stones into the crowds during the prayers.
     
  
Protestors chant slogans calling for the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak in Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, January 30th, 2011.
   
Protestors dodge tear gas canisters as they were launched into crowds in Cairo, Egypt, January 28th, 2011. The fast and nimble would often attempt to kick canisters back towards advancing police forces.
   
The first wave of military armor rolls into Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, January 28th, 2011. After a full day of clashes with police, the military suddenly appeared, scattering protestors into sidestreets and creating a greater sense of unease among the crowds.
     
  
A protestor holds a live 7.62mm round commonly used in the AK47 assualt rifles in Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, January 28th, 2011. Protestors would display both live and spent ammunition to reporters as evidence of police brutality.
   
A protestor chants beside a burning armored police van in Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, January 28th, 2011. Thousands poured into the square while chanting slogans for the removal of President Hosni Mubarak.
   
A young girl chants into a megaphone for the crowds in Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, January 30th, 2011.
     
  
Mohamed El Beltagy, leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, is carried on the shoulders of protestors as he addresses the crowd in Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, January 30th, 2011. The Muslim Brotherhood is Egypt's largest and most organized opposition party.
   
Protestors frequently took liberties with the tanks by spray painting them with political slogans and riding with the soldiers through Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, January 29th, 2011. Although reluctant to trust them initially, by noon protestors prevented many tanks from leaving the square.
   
Protestors shake hands and celebrate the presence of the military who are believed to be on the side of the people in Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, January 29th, 2011. The friendly behavior of the soldiers was greeted with cheers throughout the day, expressing solidarity with the armed forces.
     
  
Protestors wave the Egyptian flag and chant slogans in Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, January 29th, 2011. Saturday was met with virtually no tear gas after the police pullout, but instead saw live ammunition fire across the city as protestors battled with remnants of police forces.
   
A barricade fire wafts black smoke into the area above the buildings in Cairo, Egypt, January 29th, 2011. Live ammunition was used and resulted in many injuries and deaths. Military tanks were called in to engage police who quickly retreated.
   
Loyalists (background) faced off against anti-Mubarak protestors in the streets surrounding Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, February 2nd, 2011. Massive battles continued for hours with stones as the weapon of choice.
     
  
An anti-Mubarak protestor launches a stone towards the loyalists in the streets surrounding Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, February 2nd, 2011.
  
Protestors help collect and manage waste piles in Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, February 1st, 2011. Women played an important support role in the square by delivering food, water, and helping maintain living conditions while the men fought on the front lines.
   
Families pitch tents on the grass while protests continue around the clock in Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, February 1st, 2011. Children are often included in the marches on the shoulders of their fathers, encouraged to participate with adults.
     
  
A protestor in Tahrir Square raised his shoe in response to President Hosni Mubarak's refusal to step down during a televised broadcast in Cairo, Egypt, February 1st, 2011