Bullet and shell-scarred revolutionary graffiti are seen on a wall near the front line outside the northeastern Libyan town of Ajdabiyah March 22, 2011.FINBARR O'REILLY
After days of Western air strikes, some people in the Libyan capital felt bold enough on Tuesday to drop their customary praise of leader Muammar Gadhafi for a few moments and say instead they want him gone.
Residents who spoke to Reuters reporters in Tripoli were still too wary to give their names, and switched back to extolling Col. Gadhafi when officials came within earshot.
But their willingness to openly criticise the man who has led the country for four decades was a marked change from the normal pattern, when people have been too frightened of retribution to speak candidly to reporters in the street.
"Here, everyone is waiting. It's not like before," said one man, who steered a reporter away from a government minder towards a coffee shop in Tripoli's medina, or old city, so he could speak freely.
"My children are afraid but I know it's all changing. This is the end. The government has no control any more."
Keeping public opinion on his side in Tripoli is vital to Col. Gadhafi's grip on power because the capital is his biggest remaining stronghold, after the next two biggest cities in Libya were taken over by rebels.
In the medina, the sound of pro-Gadhafi songs could be heard from nearby Green Square, where a handful of supporters was holding a rally as soldiers with AK-47 assult rifles slung over their shoulders stood at the base of a fortress in the square.
Their numbers were sharply down on the thousands who were gathering a few weeks ago.
In past weeks, Libyans have quickly praised Col. Gadhafi in conversations with reporters. There was none of that in discussions on the streets on Tuesday. Those who did not criticise Col. Gadhafi expressed concerns that the country was facing yet another confrontation with the West.
Muhammad Muftah, who sells watches, including ones with portraits of Gaddafi, no longer works at night for fear of air strikes. It is not only his business that is suffering.
"Of course our children are scared when the anti-aircraft guns are fired. We tell them it's fireworks," he said, sitting on a chair outside his sidewalk shop.
Isa, a bespectacled businessman with family in Britain, praised Col. Gadhafi when a minder was close, but when the official moved away he changed tack.
"This is the moment. It's critical. The bombs are booming at night. But we are watching the sky and we see the world is trying to help," he said.
A man working in a clothing shop did not want to give his name because he said it was too risky for him to be identified, but he did say: "We want Gadhafi to go."
"We are happy that the West is attacking his forces but we don't want them to get rid of him. We want to do it ourselves. Libyans should get rid of him."
One old woman sat in the shade of an Italian colonial building, muttering "Allah, Muammar and Libya and that's it", a pro-Gadhafi phrase often repeated over and over whenever foreign journalists appear.
She was ignored by nearby shopkeepers who until a few days ago seemed keen to start shouting slogans at any opportunity. They have been counting their losses since an uprising inspired by revolts in Tunisia and Egypt broke out in Libya on Feb. 17.
In another change from the usual reticence shown by people in Tripoli around foreign reporters, a man working in a jewellery shop gave his opinion without being asked.
"He (Gadhafi) should have handled it differently. He opened fire on those protesters. They had a legitimate cause. We want changes in this country now."
Col. Gadhafi and his officials say the rebels are al-Qaeda militants who are trying to destroy the country.
"Don't believe any of this," said the man in the jewellery shop. "It has nothing to do with al-Qaeda."
"These are protests against the system. We all know that Gadhafi is the problem," he said. Moments later a minder walked into the shop and the shopkeeper fell silent.