Protesters in Cairo's central Tahrir Square reacted in fury and disbelief as Hosni Mubarak refused to step down as president. They'd been anticipating an announcement of his resignation, in the televised address.

Many watched the speech in stunned silence, slapping their hands to their foreheads in anger and shock, some crying or waving their shoes in the air in a sign of contempt. As the speech progressed, the noise levels increased. After he finished, they resumed their chants of "Leave! Leave! Leave!" The crowd in the square had swelled to several hundred thousand in anticipation of the night time address.