General

Egyptian protesters call for general strike on Tuesday

Organizers expect more than a million people to join protests

Demonstrators in Cairo have gathered for a sixth consecutive day of protests in Tahrir square on Monday to call for a general strike on Tuesday, when organizers expect more than a million people will march in the streets.  Police are returning to the streets after being conspicuously absent over the weekend, giving looters free rein while citizens set up neighbourhood patrols. Observers are unsure whether many of the police decided to join the protestors, or whether the regime gave them the order to retreat to foment citizens’ fear of the lawlessness that resulted. The latest reports from Al Jazeera say that around 125 people have been killed so far in clashes between protesters and the police.

Mohamed ElBaradei, the former IAEA and Nobel Peace Prize winner, has become the leading opposition figure after marching with protestors on the weekend following his release from house arrest. The National Coalition for Change, made up of several disparate opposition groups including the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, has asked ElBaradei to negotiate with the Mubarak government.

Meanwhile, several prisons throughout the country were attacked, releasing hundreds of criminals into the streets. Foreigners are attempting to leave the country in droves, leaving Cairo’s international airport in complete chaos.

Al Jazeera English

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