Division in Tahrir as Egyptians mark revolt

CAIRO (AP) ― Crowds of several hundred thousands teemed in Cairo’s Tahrir Square on Wednesday to mark the first anniversary of Egypt’s 2011 uprising, with liberals and Islamists in a competition over the course of the revolution, reflecting the deep political divides since the downfall of longtime leader Hosni Mubarak.

Massive groups tens of thousands marched through different neighborhoods of Cairo in processions organized by liberal and secular groups, growing on route and chanting for the military that took power after Mubarak’s fall to step down immediately.

The marches converged on the square just before sundown, jam-packing it in a scene rivaling the height of the popular uprising that toppled Mubarak.

Members of the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamists, in contrast, stayed away from the street marches, positioning their supporters in the square from the morning to press a message that the revolution had accomplished a great deal and that it was time for Egyptians needed to rally behind the new parliament that they dominate.

Both groups echoed a message in support of ending military rule ― but the revolutionaries touted the large numbers in their marches as sign of support for their demands of an immediate end and a rebuke to the Brotherhood’s more noncommittal calls for power to be transferred to civilians.

“The Islamists tried to be neutral and diplomatic so as not to offend the military or the revolutionaries,” said Ahmed Ibrahim, a protester. “They were out to celebrate, but the reality was there were marches everywhere against the military rule.”

Military generals led by Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi took over from Mubarak when he stepped down on Feb. 11, 2011. Revolutionaries accuse them of perpetuating Mubarak’s authoritarian system, saying that even though Egypt has held its freest election in decades, it is not changing the roots of the dictatorship.

The Brotherhood, in contrast, have been the biggest beneficiaries of the military’s handling of the transition. Elections held over the past two months gave them just under half of parliament’s seats, making them the country’s predominant political bloc.

More radical Islamists, the Salafis, won a quarter of the seats.

The Islamists made a forceful show Wednesday in Tahrir, which was the symbolic heart of the 18-day wave of protests against Mubarak that began Jan. 25, 2011.

A large Brotherhood podium blared speeches through 10 loudspeakers to the crowds, with one speaker proclaiming that Egyptians must defend their countries against “enemies” who want to strike Islam.

Brotherhood loyalists were chanting religious songs and shouting, “Allahu Akbar,” or God is great. The group, whose cadres are known as the most disciplined in Egypt’s politics, largely claimed the job of policing security in the square, checking IDs and searching the bags of those flocking to join the rally.

However, when the liberal and the secular-organized marches poured into the square, their crowds outnumbered the Islamists.

Young Egyptians chanted in the square, “Down, down with military rule,” and demanded that Tantawi, Mubarak’s defense minister for nearly 20 years, be executed for the deaths of protesters killed in crackdowns against their movement in recent months.

“Tantawi, come and kill more revolutionaries, we want your execution,” they chanted, alluding to the more than 80 protesters killed by army troops since October. Thousands of civilians, many of them protesters, have been hauled before military tribunals for trial since Mubarak’s ouster. “Don’t mess with the people. Go, Field Marshal,” rang another chant.

“We are not here to celebrate. We are here to bring down military rule. They have failed the revolution and met none of its goals,” said Iman Fahmy, a 27-year-old pharmacist with a Muslim headscarf who wore a paper eye-patch in solidarity with protesters shot in the eye by security forces during recent protests.

Among many, there was a suspicion that the Brotherhood is more interested in power through parliament than in real reform and therefore willing to accommodate the military’s influence, a charge the fundamentalist group denies.

“A message to the brotherhood: The revolutionaries love the square more than they love the parliament,” one poster in the square proclaimed.

Both sides were intent on drumming out as many supporters as possible to show their weight. Dozens of buses were parked outside the square after bringing in Brotherhood backers from the provinces.

Liberals and leftists, in turn, streamed into the square in large marches of tens of thousands from different parts of the city. Pro-reform leader Mohamed ElBaradei participated in the prayers organized before one of the marches headed out to the square, but didn’t march with the crowd. Some people walked to the somber beat of drums to mark the deaths of protesters the past year ― and to underline that this was not a day of celebration, given the many unrealized demands of the revolution.

In many of the marches, they wore masks depicting the faces of slain protesters, chanting, “Speak out, don’t be afraid, the council must go.”

Unlike many of the demonstrators, ElBaradei, a Nobel Peace laureate, said that the immediate return of the military to the barracks was not a top priority.