Mubarak Steps Down As Egypt's President, Local Egyptians Rejoice

By Chuck Sudo in News on Feb 11, 2011 8:40PM

President Obama addressed the nation at the top of the hour, regarding this morning's resignation of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak after over two weeks pf protests and calls for the authoritarian figure to step down. "Today belongs to the people of Egypt," Obama said. "Clearly, nothing less than genuine democracy will carry the day."

Local area Egyptians, responding to Mubarak's resignation, have been celebrating the news. The Tribune spoke with Ahmed Attiah, an importer who was in Cairo when the protests began Jan. 25 and were met with harsh police crackdowns.

“Tahrir Square, it’s a symbol of Utopia on the Earth right now,” said Attiah. “If there is a definition of a peaceful revolution it is summarized by the Egyptian revolution.”

Local activist Ahmed Rehab, whose blog has been required reading for us since the protests began, told Fox News Chicago he was "absolutely ecstatic" at Mubarak;s resignation, and praised the peaceful nature of the protests.

“We have marched from Tahrir Square, where I have been every day since the revolution broke out. and went all the way to the presidential palace, which is over 20 miles. We were there for about 15 minutes when we heard,” Rehab said.