While many revolutionaries continued their demonstrations in Tahrir Square for the 12th day in a row and put pressure on the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) to give Mohammed Morsi full presidential powers, the street vendors in the square are worried that the protesters might withdraw. The demonstrators say that they will not leave the square until their demands are met. They are calling for the cancellation of the Supplementary Constitutional Declaration (SCD) and for all powers to be handed over to President Mohammed Morsi. They are also calling for a cancellation of the ruling by the Supreme Constitutional Court that dissolved Parliament, and they protest against the SCAF's interference with the Constituent Assembly (CA) tasked with writing the new constitution. “Once the demonstrators' demands are met, the government will order the evacuation of Tahrir Square, either freely or by force. This means that we street vendors will also have to leave," complained Tharwat Shalabi, a street vendor from Othman, a village near Shubra el-Kheima in Qaliubia Governorate. “Evacuating the Square will put an end to my income and hurt my family with four children. I call on President Morsi to give us another space where we can sell our goods and make a living," Shalabi, 43, said. “I have been in Tahrir since the start of the January 25 revolution 16 months ago. Morsi promised in his speeches to care for the poor as well as ordinary citizens. But we need actions, not words. We hope he will give us decent lives and put an end to begging. We need equality and social justice for all citizens," said Abdel-Ma'boud Thabet, who works in a bakery. A woman explained that she goes every day to Tahrir Square to make a couple of pounds, since her family is in desperate need of money. “I suffer from working irregular hours and dream of having a decent job. We don't have health insurance or a stable income. I hope that the President will provide us with good jobs thanks to his renaissance project," said Zakiyya Amin Suleiman, a street seller. Ahmed Mohamed Saeed, 22, a student at the faculty of engineering, maintained that the street sellers should be entitled to formal papers. “I know them well from staying in the Square. I collect all sorts of waste, newspapers, posters and stuff and make hats out if it. Then I glue Morsi's photo on the hats. People are quite keen to buy my hats and pay LE10 for one," Ahmed elaborated. “I call on Morsi to issue formal licenses to the street sellers, whose number exceeds 1,000. They need to support their families," Saeed stressed. “I'm terribly worried about Egypt's future. President Morsi comes from a religious movement. I hope he will fulfill his promises and restore Egypt's pioneering role in the Middle East," said Hamed Fathi, a 27 year-old flag seller. “The revolutionaries must demand the full implementation of the revolution's goals and the sovereignty of the law." An escaped prisoner could also be seen in Tahrir Square. He expressed his fears about injustice. “During the revolution, the police disappeared from the streets and many prisoners escaped. I'm one of them! And I'm terrified of returning voluntarily to the prison. I ask President Morsi to pardon us," Abdel-Rahman Shehata, a painter, told Al-Gomhuria newspaper.
