Protests escalate in Egypt again today

According to a report from Al Jazeera, some 250,000 gathered at Tahrir Square today – by far the largest estimate of protesters since they came out seven days ago.

A coalition of opposition groups has also called for a million people on the streets tomorrow, which would signify another dramatic escalation in the size of this nonviolent uprising if they are able to mobilize that many people.

In addition, at a press conference, the April 6 Movement, one of the main organizers of the ongoing protests, called on Egyptians to engage in an indefinite general strike starting yesterday. This is a positive step, however, its unclear as of yet to what extent this call is being heeded by workers throughout the country.

If Mubarak somehow decides to try to outlast the street protests, Egyptians will have to seriously explore other nonviolent tactics, like the general strike, that could ratchet up the pressure on the regime.