Protesters Push On During ‘Day Of Departure’ In Egypt

Protesters Push On During 'Day Of Departure' In Egypt

Anti-government protesters chant in Tahrir Square, Cairo, Friday. (AP)

The crowds in Cairo’s Tahrir Square are being described as the biggest yet, in more than a week of anti-government protests in Egypt. But will it be enough to force President Hosni Mubarak from office today?

The Obama administration says it’s discussing several possibilities with Cairo for a transition to democratic rule in Egypt, including one in which Mubarak would leave office now and turn over power to a transition leadership backed by the military. The BBC’s Middle East Editor Magdi Abdelhadi joins us from Cairo with the latest.

BBC: Latest updates from Egypt
Al Jazeera: Watch live video from Cairo’s streets
Twitter: Follow Jan25voices for updates from Egypt

We welcome comments from all of our listeners. Post below. Please stay on topic and be civil. Comments may be moderated by us, but you are solely responsible for the content of your comments.

Dan H

Robin’s coverage and analysis of the evolving situation in Egypt is absolutely the best on radio or television. Keep it up. Hope she gets some awards for this.
- Robin Young
  
  Well I appreciate both comments. Dan, thank you so much from all of us, altho we feel rewards are reserved for those on the ground!
  
  And Ken, appreciate the compliment AND the criticism, we’ve heard
  the latter before, but we (respectfully) feel that that rather than legitimizing these comments we’re shedding an important light on them. In fact on monday we’ll take a look at the division in the Republican party OVER them!
  
  But I’ll be mindful of your thoughts.
  
  All best
  R
Ken P

Your program is excellent! But could you please stop mentioning the lunatic conspiracies of the right wing(or the left for that matter) as you did today with Glenn Beck(though this is not an isolated example). Glenn Beck for the most part is a crackpot entertainer whose commentary is not worthy of your program. Please do not contribute to legitimizing these irrational mean spirited ravings, and provide your listeners with valuable commentary from credible sorces as you usually do.
I don’t know whether this is some ham-fisted attempt to allay charges of public radio liberal bias, but it is extremely annoying. There are many rational fact based comments and opinions from the right that you could include in your stories. Please seek out those instead. Thank you.
Michal Goldman

(Monday) Dear Robin,

Thank you thank you for pointing out on your upcoming show today that the organizers of the protests in Egypt – Kifaya and others – are NOT in favor of negotiations with the regime until Mubarak goes, and are not taking part in these negotiations. So it’s as if the government is negotiating with people who don’t really oppose it.

Maybe you will draw a distinction between the genuine opposition, which has in instigated what they’re thinking of as a revolution, and the loyal opposition, which long ago actually made its peace with the status quo. The people in the room with the Vice President yesterday were overwhelmingly members of the loyal opposition.

I know this is really complicated. I spent several years in Cairo a long time ago working on a film, and I am trying to stay in touch with Egyptian friends to understand this astonishing, vibrant, heart-rending movement going on there – as important as the Berlin Wall coming down, I think. So THANK YOU FOR MAKING THESE IMPORTANT DISTINCTIONS.

Michal Goldman
Maryann

Great show today, I am definitely learning something about investments – some of which I have and others I have considered. And, I am noting that I need to do some follow-up research. Thank you once again for a really interesting show.