Cairo Masses Reassert Their Revolution's Demand

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Ben Curtis / AP Photo

Tens of thousands of Egyptians gather during celebrations of Hosni Mubarak's fall from power to pray — and to maintain pressure on the current military rulers — in Tahrir Square in Cairo on Feb. 18, 2011

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Still, not everyone was enjoying the festive atmosphere. "This is for the martyrs. Those who want to celebrate, go somewhere else," yelled a woman with designer glasses perched in her auburn hair. A few people turned her way and then returned to their singing.

Tarek Salem, a doctor and veteran of the uprising, stood silently near the center of the square, near rows of dozens of pink flowers planted in memory of activists killed in the struggle. His left eye still bruised and his right hand bandaged from rocks thrown by Mubarak supporters during the two-day battle for the square, the doctor looked out on a sea of flag-waving compatriots. "These people are here for a picnic," he said bitterly. "I thought we were coming here because of the people who died, who won't enjoy the freedom we have now."

"We should remember the dead more reverently. We are just regular people — we don't want to be honored," he said of himself and the many youths like him who occupied the square until Mubarak announced his resignation on Feb. 11. "We are going back to work, to our lives, but others weren't so lucky. I saw a 16-year-old who was injured: he was treated by medics, and then he went back into the clashes. He died in front of me."

He stopped abruptly. "Hey, you, don't step on the flowers! Have some respect!" he yelled to a group of young men who ignored him. "Hello! Hey, I'm talking to you!" They continued walking in the opposite direction. Salem shook his head in disappointment. "I'm just going to pray and leave," he told a friend standing near him, also a veteran of the struggle in Tahrir. "I can't stay here longer — I feel betrayed by these people."

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