Sunday night saw some of the worst violence against Coptic Christians in Egypt since the beginning of their revolution in February, ending with 25 dead and more than 270 injured, according to CNN. Calling the event a “serious escalation” in tensions in Egypt, Prime Minister Essam Sharaf held an emergency meeting on Monday to begin an investigation. Reports from NPR and CNN said the clash began when Coptic Christians staged a sit-in in Cairo to protest attacks from radical Muslims, but it turned ugly when observers began throwing rocks and glass bottles, some wielding swords and clubs, then the army and police intervened. Witnesses say speeding military vehicles were responsible for many of the deaths.
Tensions remained palpable on Monday as Christians rallied outside a hospital and Abbasiya Cathedral, chanting, “Raise up your head, you are Copts!” and “The army has their tanks, but we have our prayers.”
As reported by CNN: “Sunday’s violence was an escalation after months of rising sectarian tension between Muslims and the Coptic Christian minority. September 30 destruction at a Coptic church site in southern Egypt heightened emotions. The Copts protested Sunday to demand that the military provide equal protection for Coptic places of worship.”
Read CNN’s detailed account of the clash here.
