Cairo Clashes Kill 24
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October 10, 2011 TheFreshOutlook  |
Dozens of people have been killed in Cairo following an escalation of the violence between Egyptian authorities and Coptic demonstrators.
At least 24 people have been killed in Egypt after the deadliest violence since the fall of President Hosni Mubarak last February. Most of those killed were Coptic Christians taking part in a protest against the interim government’s apparent inaction following the burning of a Coptic Church in the Aswan province.
Today, the government launched an inquiry into Sunday’s events after eyewitness reports that soldiers had opened fire on protestors. A Coptic Priest also claimed that a speeding army vehicle had run over five people.
Sandra, an eyewitness, told the BBC: “It all happened so fast. The army moved in with tanks and were literally running over people. You could see bodies all over the place. People were running and screaming”.
The leader of the Coptic Church has accused outsiders of infiltrating the protest and causing trouble. In a statement today, Pope Shenuda III said : “The Christian faith denounces violence. Strangers infiltrated the demonstration and committed the crimes for which the Copts have been blamed.”
Copts make up around 10% of Egypt’s population. They complain of severe discrimination in Egypt. One example they cite is that the Egyptian state only recognises conversions from Christianity to Islam, but not the other way around. Since the ousting of President Mubarak, there has been an up swell in sectarian violence between the two communities.
However, there have been reports of Muslim people coming out to defend the Coptic demonstrators against the security forces.
Egypt has been in a transitional period since it became the second country to oust its leader in the international phenomenon known as the Arab Spring. Many believe that the violence against Copts is being instigated by hard line Muslims seeking to prevent the emergence of a pluralistic society.
Next month, Egypt is to hold its first parliamentary elections since Mubarak left power.
The country’s interim Prime Minister, Essam Sharaf, responded to yesterday’s violence by saying: “These events have brought us backwards…instead of moving forward to construct a modern state on a healthy democratic basis”.
By Dermot Tobin
[Image Courtesy of *themba*]
