CAIRO — Thousands of Egyptians have vented their rage against Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's autocratic government for two straight days of protests that defied a ban on public gatherings. Baton-wielding police responded with tear gas and beatings in a crackdown that has shown no tolerance for dissent. Egyptprotests1 for gallery (photo credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS) Egyptprotests2 for gallery (photo credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS) Egyptprotests3 for gallery (photo credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS) Egyptprotests4 for gallery (photo credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS) Egyptprotests5 for gallery (photo credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS) Egyptprotests6 for gallery (photo credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS) Egyptprotests7 for gallery (photo credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS) Egyptprotests8 for gallery (photo credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS) RELATED:ElBaradei returns to Egypt calling for democracy Egyptian protests enter 3rd day, ominous for regime Arab world experts at Davos call for multi-sector reform Egypt's largest anti-government protests in years echoed the uprising in Tunisia, threatening to destabilize the leadership of the most important U.S. ally in the Arab world. The ability of the protesters to sustain the momentum for three days in the face of such a heavy-handed police response was a rare feat in this country.
