Magnum Photos for <em>Newsweek</em>
10 February, 2011
Demonstrators on Tahrir Square, Cairo, react to a televised speech on 10 February, in which contrary to prior expectations, Egypt’s president Hosni Mubarak said he would not give up power.
Alex Majoli
Alex Majoli was born in Italy in 1971, and at the age of 15 joined the F45 Studio in Ravenna, working alongside Daniele Casadio. While studying at the Art Institute in Ravenna, h...
Cairo, Egypt
Demonstrators on Tahrir Square, Cairo, react to a televised speech on 10 February, in which contrary to prior expectations, Egypt’s president Hosni Mubarak said he would not give up power. Since late January, protests against Mubarak’s 30-year-old regime had been held nationwide, with Tahrir Square as an increasingly volatile focal point. Crowds gathering in the square were already celebrating what they thought would be a resignation speech. Following Mubarak’s declaration that he would remain, the number and intensity of demonstrations increased across the country. Eventually, at 18.00 on 11 February, Vice-President Suleiman announced that Mubarak had resigned, handing leadership over to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. In response to demonstrators’ demands, the Supreme Council dissolved parliament and suspended the constitution, declaring that it would hold power for six months, or until elections could be held.
