A day spent in Tahrir Square

I spent the day on the streets around a Tahrir Square in revolt.

Tahrir this morning: Protestors under tear gas fire at Mohamed Mahmoud street east of the square. I found people to be tired after a night of fighting, but defiant. Mainly young people who believe the revolution has been hijacked.

Tahrir this afternoon and up until 5pm: Numbers swelled, but after a tense standoff, a police drive with waves of tear gas and rubber bullets (not sure what else) into the square, led to a huge, fitful but often rapid,  retreat by the protestors to the west over the Nile towards Dokki. I found people to be a little fearful, but defiant. I saw a number of injured protestors taken from the front. People are reported dead, scores injured.

Hopefully my pics and video captures some of this.

I will probably be writing about this in the Sunday Business Post this weekend and on this blog during the week.

This is my video of the hectic retreat west from Tahrir at about 5.30 today.

The protestors are chanting the motto of the Arab Spring. 'Ash-shaʻb yurīd isqāṭ an-niẓām ' translates roughly as "the people want to bring down the regime"

Sorry for shaky camerawork, I normally work with a pen.

(UPDATE: Since this retreat people have actually returned to Tahrir.)