Thousands of Egyptian protesters clash with police

Protesters take to the streets of Cairo to demonstrate against political repression and unemployment under President Hosni Mubarak. It is unclear if the protests in Egypt will mimic those in Tunisia, leading to revolt against the government.

Cairo, Egypt

Egyptian protesters rush police and battle tear gas in demonstrations against the political repression and unemployment that have defined three decades of rule by President Hosni Mubarak. (Mohammed Abed, AFP/Getty Images / January 25, 2011)

Thousands of Egyptian protesters inspired by the revolt in Tunisia rushed police and battled tear gas Tuesday in demonstrations against the political repression and unemployment that have defined three decades of rule by President Hosni Mubarak.

Groups of protesters marched through downtown Cairo, crossing bridges and outflanking riot police as the crowds headed for a square a few blocks from the parliament building. Security forces, which had shown unusual restraint early in the day, swung batons and clashed with demonstrators amid chants of "Freedom" and "Down with Mubarak."

The protests were larger than any Egypt has seen in years. But it was unclear if the country's opposition could mimic Tunisia and capitalize on sustained public pressure to threaten one of the region's most entrenched police states. More than 80,000 people signed up on Facebook to attend the rallies but the number in the streets was far fewer.

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Ironically it is a National Holiday to Honour the Police in Egypt today. And apparently Twitter has just been disabled in Egypt. Tom

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