Alexandria is peaceful and sunny this morning and the soldiers in their tanks guarding the street corners are taking down their guns. They’ve been told not only not to shoot, but to make sure that everybody knows that they’re not even going to display their weapons.
Last night after curfew, we drove through the town and every few yards there was a road block – a few chairs, a ladder, maybe some bins. Some of the vigilantes didn’t seem older than 12 or 13.
We’re being taken around by a young man who is a member of one one the Popular Committees which seem to run Alexandria after dark. He has been given a password – Mujahadeen – and so we said that on every road block and immediately got waves and smiles. The Army are also very friendly, although not that keen on being filmed.
No one knows what’s going to happen later today. The people I met in Martyr’s Square last night said that many more people would be turning out. Some of them were going to sit there all night. They feel that the Army – unlike the police – is on their side.
All over town there are graffiti saying, ‘Mubarak must go’, and on one bus shelter in Arabic, it is written: ‘The Egyptian people are great, but their president is very stupid.’
On placards, they’ve written: “If you let go, we’ll let go,” “It’s the liar that says the demonstrations are small,” “Leave, Mubarak, Tel Aviv is your home,” “Remove Mubarak and replace him with a sheep” and “Mr Obama, don’t bet on a loser.”