Local rally supports ‘revolution’ in Egypt

Lily Sirsy is glad to be back in Las Vegas.

Sirsy, 24, was visiting extended family in Egypt this month when tensions rose over President Hosni Mubarak's reluctance to leave office after almost 30 years in power.

"It was right before the first eruptions over -- I guess you'd call it -- the revolution that's going on right now," Sirsy said.

Sirsy flew back on Jan. 20, days before Egyptians stormed the streets in violent protests.

She said there were only isolated protests when she was there, but she worried about getting a flight home.

"It wasn't too bad, but I'm glad to be back," she said.

On Saturday afternoon, Las Vegans with ties to Egypt took to the streets to protest Mubarak's reign with a rally in front of the downtown Lloyd George U.S. Courthouse at 333 Las Vegas Blvd. South.

Protesters also gathered outside the U.N. complex in New York City, filled the street in front of the Egyptian Embassy in Washington and marched through downtown San Francisco to show solidarity with the uprising. Other cities, including Chicago, Seattle and Los Angeles, also had demonstrations.

In Las Vegas, the mood was friendly, if decidedly anti-Mubarak, and filled with passion but no violence.

Ahmed Darwish, 28, a engineering student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, said the contrast between the protests in Las Vegas and Egypt is an example of the differences between the U.S. and Egyptian governments.

"Here, you can express your opinion freely, without threat of violence or jail. You are free," said Darwish, who arrived in Las Vegas from Egypt in August 2009 on a student visa. "That does not happen in my country."

Darwish and about 100 other protesters held signs with phrases such as "Mubarak: 30 Years of Corruption and In­justice" and "Obama We Are Asking You To Stop This Massacre And Arrest Mubarak."

Protesters chanted: "Mubarak, Mubarak, go, go, all Egyptians hate you!" and "Obama, Obama, stop the drama!"

Sirsy said it was time for a change in Egypt, where the leader does little for the people.

"It's such a beautiful place, such a rich history and culture," she said. "It gets a bad rap, but it's not the people. It's the government."

Darwish said the government in Egypt has destroyed the nation's economy. Thousands of families are homeless because they can't find work, he said.

As an engineer in Egypt, Darwish said he earned the equivalent of $120 per month, more than all his friends.

"We love our country so, so much. We don't like to leave it, but when you look around and see the way other places do things, you realize it's just not a life," he said.

Darwish said he's never known a president other than Mubarak, who took office before he was born. If there was ever a time for a change, it's now, he said: "It's time to rebel and kick them out. If we fail now, the security system in Egypt will be even more harsh and make it so this can't happen again."

The Associated Press contributed to this report. Contact Mike Blasky at mblasky @reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0283.