Protesters surround parliament in Cairo

08 February, 2011 13:55

Large crowds of people have surrounded parliament and interior ministry buildings in central Cairo as nationwide anti-Mubarak protests continue in Egypt.The protesters are flooding out of their homes for the 15th straight day to step up pressure on embattled President Hosni Mubarak.

Thousands of protesters in Ramses street are calling for the suspension of parliament and demanding Mubarak step down from office immediately, Shiite News reported.

Pay rise

Reports say groups of lawyers have also started marching towards the presidential palace.

Thousands of protesters spent the night in makeshift tents in Cairo’s Liberation Square despite a curfew.

Protesters say they will not give up until the revolution is complete, our correspondent says.

Schools and the stock exchange are still closed. The Egyptian pound has also fallen to its lowest level in six years.

Meanwhile, Mubarak has approved the formation of a committee to carry out constitutional amendments.

Also on Monday, the embattled president announced a 15-percent pay raise for all public workers.

Vice president Omar Suleiman has also announced that the government has a plan and a timetable for a peaceful transfer of power.

But the demonstrators say it is too little too late. They say they cannot trust the government, especially after what has transpired over the past two weeks.

The demonstrators insist that Mubarak resign immediately and that they are ready to draw more people to the streets until it happens.

Anti-American sentiment is high among the protesters who hold Washington responsible for Mubarak’s long grip on power.

Many in Egypt see Washington’s support for Mubarak as contradicting US President Barack Obama’s repeated calls for an immediate transition of power in the country.