Egyptians mark fall of Mubarak

Hundreds of thousands of Egyptians packed into central Tahrir Square for a day of celebration to mark the fall of deposed premier Hosni Mubarak, and push their new military rulers to steer the country toward reform.

Protest leaders addressed the sprawling crowd, saying rallies must go on until the military to do more to dismantle Mr Mubarak’s regime, which still holds considerable power even after his ousting.

Demonstrators want the army to dissolve the caretaker government headed by prime minister Ahmed Shafiq, which was appointed by Mr Mubarak in his final weeks and contains many of his stalwarts.

They also want the lifting of emergency laws that give police near unlimited powers of arrest. So far, the military has not moved on either issue, or on another demand for the release of thousands of political prisoners.

“We’ll stay in the square until there is a new government, because there is no way we will see change under a government by the National Democratic Party,” proclaimed prominent TV journalist Wael el-Ibrashi, one of the speakers on a stage before the crowd, referring to Mr Mubarak’s former ruling party.

Mohammed el-Beltagy, a Muslim Brotherhood member prominent in the protests, led his audience in a call-and-response, shouting, “Can we stop the protests when the government of Ahmed Shafiq is still there?” The crowd roared back, “No, no, no.”

At the same time, for many, the gathering was as much a celebration of what has been accomplished by the protests that began on January 25.

At one point, a military marching band paraded through the square the entertain the revellers. Army tanks and checkpoints were stationed at entrances to Tahrir, with soldiers checking IDs and bags of those heading in.

The atmosphere was festive, as organisers hoped it would be to maintain the upbeat spirit of the earlier protests.

Friday’s rally appeared to far surpass the quarter-million people who packed the largest of the anti-Mubarak demonstrations of the past month.