CAIRO, Egypt - Thousands of anti-government protesters wielding rocks, glass and sticks chased hundreds of riot police away from the main square in downtown Cairo and several of the policemen stripped off their uniforms and badges and joined the demonstrators.

An Associated Press reporter saw the protesters cheering the police who joined them and hoisting them on their shoulders in one of the many dramatic and chaotic scenes across Egypt on Friday.

After chasing the police, thousands of protesters were able to flood into the huge Tahrir Square downtown after being kept out most of the day by a very heavy police presence. Few police could be seen around the square after the confrontation.

Tens of thousands of anti-government protesters poured into the streets of Egypt today, stoning and confronting police who fired back with rubber bullets and tear gas in the most violent and chaotic scenes yet in the challenge to President Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule.

Nobel Peace laureate Mohamed ElBaradei was soaked by water can|non and forced to take refuge in a mosque. Authorities later said ElBaradei was under house arrest.

Groups of thousands of protesters, some chanting "Out! Out! Out!" gathered at least six venues in Cairo.

Many marched toward major squares and across Nile bridges. Security officials said there were protests in at least 11 of the country's 28 provinces.

-- Associated Press

Al Jazeera reporting that NDP headquarters set on fire, downtown Cairo police station and police car set on fire.

Local time in Cairo right now is 7:00pm. Protesters have resumed demonstrations after the final prayers of the day. Police cars and the NDP headquarters are reportedly on fire.

Wikileaks releases a series of Egyptian Diplomatic cables: is.gd

Hillary Clinton in Washington, D.C.: We call on the Egyptian government to do everything in its power to restrain the security forces. Protesters should do everything in their power to express themselves peacefully.

Al Jazeera: A military armored personnel carrier is now in Alexandria

Professor Hermida, can you comment on the role of social media in helping people organize and how it has been affected by blackouts in recent days?

How does the situation in Egypt compare to what we saw recently in Iran?

Update: Global News reporter Stuart Greer safely landed in Cairo on Friday.
Currently no email/Internet access, landline phone only.

How do you think the situation would have unfolded without social media? Would there had to have been a political opposition to get the same result?

We all need information to make decisions. Social media provides a channel for Egyptians to share information, find out what is happening. It gives everything their own printing press or TV station. But social media didn't cause the protests. These have taped into long-running and deep-seated resentment at 30 years of autocratic rule, exacerbated by the economic crisis. But social media services have been a catalyst, helping to spread information about the protests and providing a way to share details about what is happening where. We say the role of journalism is to provide citizens with the information they need to be free and self-governing. In societies where the media is censored, social media has filled the void, with citizens themselves reporting on what is happening around them.

Could you comment on censorship on the media from the time you spent at the BBC in Cairo and how things may have changed since you were there?

Update: protesters in Suez are defying curfew. AP is reporting that Mubarak has expanded the night curfew nationwide, an acknowledgement of how serious and widespread the anti-government protests are. Local time in Egypt: 8:00p.m., the curfew has been in place for two hours.