A protester waves Egypt’s flag as riot police fire tear gas during clashes near Tahrir Square in Cairo; a plea for donations is made at the Occupy London camp outside St. Paul’s Cathedral
 |
The few seconds that it takes for my instinct to overpower my logic feels like an eternity, but I join the masses and run from the same unknown threat. In front of us are thousands of people, hands outstretched and faces panicked as they scream at us to stop. Inexplicably, we do. While it may have been a false alarm this time, often the encroaching danger posed by the security forces is real.
This scene will repeat itself dozens of times throughout the course of the evening, in a strange dance of two steps forward and a terrified near-stampede backward.
When calm prevails, I find myself standing among wounded protesters, just returned from the front line of clashes with Egyptian security forces.
‘Beyond my control’
I am trying to coax an interview from one of three medical workers who each have more pressing matters at hand, and do not seem inclined to speak to a journalist.
Eventually, one of them turns to me accusingly and asks, “Who do you work for?”
This question, while innocuous in many situations, is one whose answer I must consider carefully. This is a transitioning Egypt. Nine months after the fall of former President Hosni Mubarak and just days before the country’s first post-revolutionary parliamentary polls, emotions are on edge. Deadly clashes take place in the same square where thousands of people helped bring about the end of a government.
 |
| Follow in-depth coverage of country in turmoil |
In the aftermath of the uprising, Al Jazeera was both hailed and hated by opposing sides for its coverage of the mass protests. In this instance, surrounded by three overwhelmed volunteer doctors in an outdoor, makeshift medical centre, it is not immediately clear what answer will help me find what I am looking for – an interview subject.
But I answer honestly, and the men break into wide smiles. “Al Jazeera saved us! We love Al Jazeera!” one of the doctors replies, explaining that he will do whatever he can to help me.
I have scored a minor victory, but now the challenge will be whether the story is ever heard.
Countless attempts to call my newsdesk result in the same automated phone message from my mobile provider: call failed. Internet connectivity is even less reliable. Whether this is due to the thousands of other users in the square jamming the phone lines, or to a more co-ordinated attempt at sabotaging communications – as some protesters allege – is unknown.