‘We are not leaving until Mubarak leaves’
Egyptian activist and blogger Mona Seif (@monasosh on Twitter) provided some of the most dramatic eyewitness testimony yet from Tahrir Square in Cairo live on Al-Jazeera English early on Thursday morning.
It could become an iconic moment of the Egyptian uprising (although there have been many). Speaking over the sound of gunfire, she describes how she and her fellow demonstrators refuse to leave the square. Weeping, she describes one of her comrades being shot in the head by pro-Mubarak gangs. (Thanks, Mondoweiss, for finding the video):
Blogger and net activist Jillian York transcribed parts of the interview:
If everyone is so concerned, why is Mubarak still there and we’re losing people every minute?
When asked, “What would you like to say to the world?”
We are not leaving this place. There are only two options for the world: Either they stick to mubarak and his regime and we lose thousands of people in this square and it goes from Liberation Square to Massacre Square. Or, they say no to mubarak’s regime and give people here a chance at a real life.
She was then asked who was in the crowds. Her response:
A lot of them are teenage kids, very few of them are older than 25. It’s astonishing but it really is sad because we know this can be avoided and they don’t have to waste their lives.
The presenter then asked if she was reassured by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s earlier words that the violence from the pro-Mubarak side was shocking. Mona responded:
Not really, this is the same hilary clinton who a week ago said mubarak’s country is stable. What would be assuring is for me to hear that Mubarak is about to give an urgent speech and say he is leaving.

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