Alan Chin in Cairo: Mubarak No More!!!

On the phone this evening, Alan said this historic day really needs few words. As closely as BagNews has been following the sequence of events, however, these first three photos bear some description. As Chin narrates:

“I positioned myself at the TV station where a large crowd was protesting all day. In my mind, I was remembering Moscow ’91. I wasn’t there but a friend, photographer Otto Pohl, was shot in the siege at the station. There was talk that Egypt’s Republican Guard was protecting this broadcast center, though I couldn’t be sure of that.

“At one point, the crowd actually climbed on top of the tanks and the soldiers were trying to get them off. Tension was high and it felt like things could spin out of control. But the soliders removed them politely, which was a clear sign that there wasn’t going to be any incident. It was rather remarkable, actually, given the rage from the night before. Anger, anger, anger, polite, polite, polite. The soldiers asked them nicely and people got off. Then suddenly, everybody started started screaming. Mubarak had stepped down!!

The second photo above, is the same tank, the protesters celebrating with the soldier. And in the third, the jubilation takes hold.”

So, here are some more with just minor notes…

Up till now, small fires in Tahrir Square were for warmth.  Tonight, along with the fireworks these are flames of celebration.

This man, perhaps a former military officer, gives a salute holding a portrait of Nasser. Says Chin: “The resurgence of nationalism.”

Photographer David Degner said that parents generally don’t like their children going to Tahrir Square because kids go there to flirt. He added, though, that since the uprising started, people have been far too serious for that.

Appears the love is back!

–Michael Shaw

PHOTOGRAPHS by ALAN CHIN

To see entire BagNews series covering Cairo: Middle East Uprising 2011

To see previous post: Extreme Shock and Rage

To see next post: “Yesterday I was a demonstrator. Today I build Egypt.”

Minor text edit Feb. 12 0230 EST.