Interviews with Ahmed Samih

In any previous revolution for example, the revolutions in– in East Europe, when the military intervene– intervene and when– when people see the tanks in the streets, the situation get more and more tensions. Something very strange (LAUGH) happened in Tahrir Square. When the Egyptian military intervene, the direct reaction of average (LAUGH) Egyptian is to feel happy. Young people keep spreading and doing graffiti on the Egyptian military. Saying, “Down for Mubarak.”

Egyptians jump on Egyptian military tanks and saluting the soldiers. Exactly like what Yeltsin did previously. Suddenly all the Square became Yeltsins. All the Square didn´t feel the threat that this tanks is going to be against them. When you are a military leader in this moment, should be very hard for you to take a decision of shooting someone.

And you have totally to think differently. I think no reasonable, rational military officer in the Egyptian military would take the decision of shooting demonstrators. When you see this kind of dynamics between the average people and the average soldiers, they are (LAUGH) both– participating in the revolution, even if that– that was not a decision made by the military. But we didn´t fear the tanks at all. People thought the tanks like big toys. And they keep jumping on it and taking pictures.

We even have this nice joke that the Egyptian military– and will announce in the newspaper for any Egyptian who didn´t take a picture in front or over a tank please go hurry up and take this picture. We want to go back to the barracks. That was the main slogan in the Square. Like, everybody there, everybody see take a picture in front of the tank and feel seems very happy that the tanks there.

We have, in our background historically our military service is powerful. And Egyptian have the notion that military usually is a friendly more than more than aggressively against you. We have the notion that military people are respecting Egyptians more than police people. Till now, I don´t know why exactly. But nobody we didn´t have a meeting saying what we will do against attacks.

People take the decision and jump over the tanks, saluting them. And keep yelling and keep chanting and keep singing and keep spraying, “Down. Down for Mubarak” on his own military tanks. That was a very, very powerful message from the first second the Egyptian military intervene. That was a message that Egyptians have to deal with their own military to bring democracy.

Ahmed has extensive experience as an organizer and trainer in international programs for human rights education. He has served as a media adviser and director of media observation in a national campaign for monitoring elections in Egypt sponsored by USAID. He has also been a trainer for projects sponsored by the Norwegian Human Rights Fund, such as Supporting NGOs and Right to Freedom of Thought, Conscience and Religion and Combating Propaganda for War. He is the founder of various organizations: Liberal Youth Seminar sponsored by New Civic Forum, Knowledge Club, and Free Youth Association sponsored by Al JEEL Center for Youth and Social Studies. Currently, Ahmed is the Director of the Andalus Institute for Tolerance and Anti-Violence Studies and the director of EGYPT 1st online internet radio.