WSJ has some reporting on the covert maneuvers that took place in Egypt during the run-up to Mubarak's exit.
In early January, the core of planners from the youth wings of Egypt's opposition movement decided they would try to replicate the accomplishments of the protesters in Tunisia (who ultimately ousted President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali). Their immediate concern was how to foil the Ministry of Interior, whose legions of riot police had contained and quashed protests for years. The police were expert at preventing demonstrations from growing or moving through the streets, and at keeping ordinary Egyptians away. "We had to find a way to prevent security from . . . stopping us," said 41-year-old architect Basem Kamel, a member of Mohamed ElBaradei's youth wing and one of the dozen or so plotters.
According to the article, a group of protesters, including Ziad al-Alimi, a leading youth organizer for Mr. ElBaradei's campaign group, met daily for two weeks planning the protest that would eventually reach, and occupy, Tahrir Square. They decided that some rudimentary subterfuge was needed. Twenty January 25 protests were announced via the Internet, but twenty-one were planned. The announced twenty protests were prevented from reaching Tahrir Square by riot police. But the secret twenty-first protest succeeded. The Bulaq al-Dakrour marchers, the only group to reach their objective, occupied Tahrir Square for several hours until after midnight, when police attacked demonstrators with tear gas and rubber bullets. On January 28, they seized Tahrir Square again and remained for the duration.
By the way, January 25 was chosen because it is a national holiday celebrating ... the Egyptian police.
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