Freed Egypt Activist Rallies Protesters

1:47pm UK, Tuesday February 08, 2011

Dominic Waghorn, Middle East correspondent, in Cairo

An emotional interview with a leader of Egypt's revolution has raised the temperature in the country's capital once again.

Wael Ghonim defends the protests in a television interview with Dream TV

Wael Ghonim was released yesterday after almost two weeks in detention. His Facebook page 'We are all Khaled Said' led the cyber campaign against President Hosni Mubarak. He is also a senior Google executive.

Ghonim broke down in tears as he told viewers on Dream TV about his 12 days in jail and he defended the protest movement against its critics.

"I want to tell families who lost their sons this is not our fault. This is the fault of those clinging to power," he said.

And he condemned state television for its fraudulent coverage of the revolution.

"The Egyptian State TV channels didn't portray the truth, that is why people watch the private channels now."

Day after day many media outlets have consistently inflated the numbers of people protesting in Cairo's Tahrir Square. Some reporters may have been a little overexcited, some a little inexperienced, some nervous at being out of step with their peers, and a few may have been guilty of seeking a better headline.

Read Tim Marshall's blog on differing accounts of protester numbers

And crucially for the Egyptian public watching the disputed official claims, the revolution was the work of foreign agents.

"The interrogators wanted to know if outsiders were involved. I convinced them this was a purely Egyptian movement," added Ghonim.

The interview has raised spirits and emotions on the streets of Cairo once again.

Tuesday was already billed as a day of action. The emergence of one of the movement's key leaders and his emotional interview may galvanise a revolution that was beginning to lose momentum.

It also gives the disparate and diverse groups of protesters a face and name many will want to rally around again.