President Mubarak Announcement Enrages Egyptian Citizens

On the night of February 10, 2011, hundreds of thousands of Egyptians in Cairo’s Tahrir Square were expecting President Hosni Mubarak to announce his resignation. Rumours had spread all day, and some military officers had told the crowd that its demands would be met.

Mubarak spoke on state television late that night. He said he would hand some powers to his newly appointed vice-president, Omar Suleiman, but he would stay in office until elections in September. He also said he would not give in to “foreign dictates.”

The reaction

The crowd went from celebrating to furious almost immediately. People held up shoes, a strong insult in the Arab world, and chanted for Mubarak to leave. Protest leaders called for even bigger marches the next day, and thousands of people headed for the presidential palace and the state broadcaster.

The speech came about two and a half weeks into a movement that began on January 25, 2011. Protesters, many of them young people who organized online, were angry about police brutality, corruption, unemployment and three decades of emergency rule. The uprising came soon after Tunisia’s revolution had forced out President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in January. Earlier, on February 1, Mubarak had said he would not seek re-election, but by then protesters wanted him out immediately.

Twenty-four hours later

On the evening of February 11, 2011, Suleiman made a short announcement on state television: Mubarak had stepped down and handed power to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. Crowds celebrated across Egypt and in Egyptian communities around the world, including in Canada.

What followed

The years after the revolution were turbulent:

• 2012: Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood won Egypt’s first competitive presidential election. Mubarak was convicted over the killing of protesters and sentenced to life in prison, but the verdict was later overturned on appeal.
• 2013: After mass protests against Morsi, the military removed him. Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, then defence minister, became president the following year.
• 2017: Mubarak was finally acquitted and released.
• 2020: Mubarak died in Cairo on February 25, at the age of 91.

Why it still matters

The night of February 10 is remembered because the leader misjudged his own people so badly. A speech meant to buy time made the end come sooner. For Canadians, the Arab Spring also brought new waves of immigration and refugee resettlement, and it began a long debate in Ottawa about how to deal with autocratic allies when their own citizens rise up against them.