For the last two weeks, Egyptian citizens have launched a series of protests against the government. Through demonstrations, marches and riots, protestors have thrown the fragile country into political turmoil.

Throughout the 30-year period under Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, problems like police brutality, corruption, lack of free speech, unfair elections and various economic woes have become prevalent. Since the 1981 assassination of former President Anwar Sadat, Egypt has been in a continuous “State of Emergency” under Egyptian law, which allows for more police power, suspension of rights granted by the Constitution, and hiatus of Parliamentary elections. Although the current administration states that these actions are necessary for political stability against religious groups attempting to seize power, this power has shown evidence of being abused. Government crackdowns have resulted in several imprisonments without trial and censorship of many anti-government messages in the media. Massive inflation, high unemployment and low minimum wages have worsened sentiment towards the government.

On January 25th, the National Police Day, protests broke out in Cairo, Alexandria, Ismailia and Suez. Over 40,000 protestors took to the streets across the country calling for the president and his cabinet to step down from power. In Cairo, police used tear gas in order to disperse the crowd, but in turn had rocks thrown at them by protestors, causing the police to retreat. Protests continued for the next two days, and escalated until the 28th, when massive protests erupted on what the protestors called “The Day of Rage.” The government shut down the internet in an attempt to prevent organizations from communicating, and cell phone providers were ordered to shut down communication in certain areas. In addition to the continuing demonstrations, protestors set fire to the headquarters of the National Democratic Party, the majority party to which the president belongs. That day, Mubarak announced that he was firing his old staff and creating a new one. On February 1st, over 500,000 people took to the streets for the “March of the Millions.” Later that night, President Mubarak stated that he would not be running for reelection come September. Many protestors, however, felt that this was not enough and instead wanted him to resign immediately.

The protestors, who had been making rapid gains, took a blow themselves on Febrary 2nd when pro-Mubarak supporters armed with stones, whips, swords and pocket knives attacked the protestors. Stones and firebombs were thrown from buildings on to protestors below, and over 800 people were taken to the hospital with injuries. However, this did not weaken the strength of the resistance, and on February 4th, The New York Times reported that negotiations were being made for Mubarak to step down and hand over power to his vice president, Omar Suleiman.

So far the protests have resulted in around 300 deaths and thousands of injuries. In the chaos engulfing the major cities, thieves and looters plundered banks, shops, museums and historical sites before civilian “watch groups” were created to protect these sites. The Cairo International Airport has been evacuating thousands of tourists to their home countries. International response has called for a peaceful resolution, but countries are divided in their support. While Tunisia and Iran are supportive of the protestors, Israel (a Mubarak-supported country) and other nations in the region have voiced support for the current administration. Many Western nations have been more neutral and called for an end to the violence, while the U.S. has called for strong reforms on the part of the government.