Revolution harms trade in central Cairo

Downtown Cairo was absolutely free of pedestrians on Saturday night. People had simply stopped walking the streets after all the violence. Shopkeepers asked for strangers’ help after losing so many of their wares. One shop owner on Qasr al-Nil Street put the blame squarely on the shoulders of the demonstrators. “We are suffering badly at the moment,” he said. “We don’t know when this situation will end or how we’re going to be compensated for our losses afterwards.” Another shopkeeper in Talaat Harb Street echoed this, wondering when would the situation end. Recently, the man said, local businesses had received less than 20 percent of their usual number of shoppers. Salwa, a vendor in one of the downtown shops, said: "No one came into the shop today. People are afraid and now I’m worried that the shop owner is going to tell me not to come in the next few days.” Another vendor went even further. “Selling has stopped,” he said. “When is this going to stop so we can stabilise this country and get back to business?”