Anniversary of an Uprising

Demonstrations out-numbered celebrations one year since the beginning of the revolution that brought Hosni Mubarak's ouster

Many thousands of people marched on Cairo's Tahrir Square today, the majority of whom demonstrated against the ruling military. A strong note of disunity marked the anniversary of the January 25th revolution, but rival groups all paid tribute to the fallen.

Cairo marks the anniversary of the January 25th revolutionDemonstrators criticize the SCAF and Field Marshal Tantawi

Thousands upon thousands of Egyptians took to the streets of Cairo today, to mark the anniversary of the so-called January 25^th revolution, which deposed former President Hosni Mubarak.

It would inaccurate to call today a general celebration in Cairo, since the many thousands of people who marched through the city to Tahrir Square did so for many reasons. The atmosphere was marked by disunity, with a notable split in opinion between liberal groups who consider the revolution incomplete and Islamist groups who cheered the electoral success of The Freedom and Justice Party (the Muslim Brotherhood’s political wing).

Demonstrators criticize the SCAF and Field Marshal Tantawi

Protestors mainly affiliated to liberal youth movements directed their anger at the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF). Frustrated at the lack of any discernible change in Egypt since Mubarak’s ouster, they compared the SCAF head Field Marshal Tantawi to the deposed ruler. In contrast to the view that the Army has failed the revolution, supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood praised SCAF’s efforts, noting particularly the relatively smooth election process that saw Islamist groups win the largest section of the vote.

It is tempting to conclude from today’s events that Egypt is irreparably divided and will struggle to regain its footing. Yet at the time of writing, no trouble has been reported in Cairo. Indeed, there were no soldiers or police present in Tahrir square today and those who wished to demonstrate did so peacefully, just as those who wished to celebrate did so too.

In the early stages of a new Egypt it is encouraging that such a landmark day can be observed without violence. What is more, the thousands on the streets of Cairo were frequently united, regardless of political allegiance, by a shared commemoration of those who lost their lives during the events of the past year.

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