Egypt's Mubarak turns 80 amid silent discontent

0 Comments | AFP, May, 2008

CAIRO (AFP) — President Hosni Mubarak celebrates his 80th birthday on Sunday amid a wave of popular discontent marked by a call for Egyptians to stay at home in protest at price hikes and curbs on freedom.

But the call for the nationwide strike -- the second in a month -- failed to draw any response as Egyptians went to work as normal and Cairo traffic was heavy.

"There is no sign of protest anywhere. But there is tighter security, with riot police trucks stationed in downtown Cairo and in (the northern industrial city of) Mahalla just in case," the official told AFP.

The most visible sign of protest came from about 15 people chanting "Down, down with Hosni Mubarak" outside the Lawyers' Syndicate in downtown Cairo, an AFP journalist reported.

The...