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By switching on the internet and rocks, Mubarak seeks to make violence the face of the revolution

Editor’s note: We are getting running reports from Felice Gelman in downtown Cairo. We will update as the day goes on. Her latest dispatches are at the beginning.

–From Tighe Barry of Code Pink:  Mukhabarat (secret police) are on the roof across the street from our hotel and directing street thugs by phone and telling Tighe to stop filming them. Molotov cocktails are now being thrown into Tahrir by Mubarak supporters. A tank has pulled up where Talat Harb St. enters Tahrir (on north side of square). This is the first sign of the army since this began, but not sure where it’s going.  

Both sides have been using the tank as a shield, with the Mubarak supporters throwing molotov cocktails.  An army officer hauled one guy into our hotel, hit him once and let him go.  No idea who he was or why.  This area is a center of confrontation because the Mubarak supporters are not severely outnumbered.  

Mukhabarat on the roof across the street are now yelling instructions to the men in the street, directing them to move towards the square.  The Mubarak thugs, some of whom are chanting slogans praising God, must have achieved some objective because the Mukhabarat are very happy.  Now hearing gunfire — not clear where it is from. 
 
Now the tank has gone.  Protesters from Tahrir Sq. now rushing out of square onto Talat Harb.  Mubarak supporters retreating in front of them.  Pro-democracy forces have retaken Talat Harb.  Mubarak supporters are smashing windows as they retreat.  

Earlier: Everyone is now running from Tahrir, so something major is happening there, Tighe Barry reports from north of Tahrir Square. He is watching a dozen Mubarak thugs beating a kid with a metal pole.  Now going after a man who tried to protect him.   How can he survive?  More people piling on all the time.  The human shields of Tahrir Square have given up and are now defending themselves with stones as well. Barry: One guy here has been shooting video through a tiny crack in the steel shutter.  We see five or six men beating a boy lying on the ground.

I just saw a tweet that the Army has abandoned its post outside the Egyptian Museum, which they had been protecting from looting. Maybe Mubarak wants a last shot at looting Egypt?

For the moment, Mubarak is succeeding in his efforts to sow chaos.   He seems willing to set the country on fire to stay in power and may have interpreted Obama’s not insisting he step down as a green light for this outrage.   The Egyptian man sitting next to me tells me paid thugs and street violence are the typical tactics of Mubarak’s National Democratic Party.  

The miraculous return of the internet will permit the pictures of this violence to become the face of the revolution.  People I am talking to think its return was no coincidence. 

From Tighe Barry of CodePink, who is observing from balcony above Talat Harb St.:

Pro-Mubarak supporters near Talat Harb Square (north of Tahrir Square) are lying in wait for protesters to come out of hiding so they can attack them.  Near Tahrir Square seems more peaceful, but demonstrators are standing in two lines of human shields, with locked arms, to protect square.  Their only protection is blankets over their heads as shields.  No military in sight at the moment.  

Mubarak supporters are starting to throw stones at the line of protection and people in the square.  This seems to be coordinated by two men with walkie talkies.   Rocks are thrown and then the thugs run away.  Peacemakers in between are trying to stop everyone from throwing rocks. Protesters from Tahrir now running towards Mubarak forces on Talat Harb. We see twitter calls for doctors to Tahrir. 

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