(Wall Street Journal) Yaroslav Trofimov - Mobs of ordinary Egyptians joined with soldiers to drive the hard core of the pro-democracy protesters from Tahrir Square in Cairo on Monday. Hundreds of Egyptian army troops and central security police attacked the tent city on the square, shooting in the air and shouting "Allahu Akbar," God is Great. Protesters' belongings were dumped into garbage trucks. The soldiers beat the activists with truncheons and arrested dozens. The protesters who ran into surrounding streets encountered a hostile mob that included local shopkeepers and business owners. Squeezed between an assertive military and the country's resurgent Islamist movement, many pro-democracy activists are finding it increasingly hard to remain relevant in a post-revolutionary Egypt. "The liberal and leftist groups that were at the forefront of the revolution have lost touch with the Egyptian people," says Shadi Hamid, director of research at the Brookings Institution's Doha Center.
2011-08-03 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive