23 Killed in Egypt Clashes

The Protest in Egypt

At least 23 people were killed and 193 injured Sunday in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, when a protest by Coptic Christians over the recent burning of a church escalated into rioting against military rule.


Twenty three people were killed in Cairo on Sunday, the health ministry said, when Christians, some carrying crosses and pictures of Jesus, clashed with military police in the latest sectarian flare-up in a country in political turmoil.


Christians protesting against an attack on a church say they were marching peacefully when thugs attacked them, drawing in military police who used what activists described as unnecessary force.


Protesters used firebombs, set army vehicles alight and battled with security forces in Egypt's most violent clashes since the February uprising that ousted former president Hosni Mubarak.


More than four vehicles were set ablaze and television footage showed army personnel carriers driving full speed towards crowds of protesters.

Flag of Egypt

Christian demonstrators said a peaceful rally in the mostly Coptic neighborhood of Shubra turned deadly when the group marched to Egypt's Radio and Television Building where plainclothes police attacked them. The protests later spread to Tahrir Square, the focal point of the February revolution.


Protesters threw rocks and petrol bombs and set cars on fire, as thick smoke wafted through the streets in some of the most violent scenes since the uprising that ousted Mubarak.


In the past few weeks, riots have broken out at two churches in southern Egypt, prompted by Muslim crowds angry about church construction.


One clash took place near the city of Aswan after church officials agreed to a demand by local ultra-conservative Muslims, known as Salafis, that a cross and bells be removed from the church building.


The protesters want the government to fire the governor of Aswan Province, Mostafa al-Sayed, after the partial demolition of the church on Friday. Egyptian media said Muslims were accused of attacking the church after talk spread in the town that the building did not have legal authorisation.


Egyptian officials said they would investigate the causes of Sunday's violence, calling for calm.

Map of Egypt

Christians make up about one-tenth of Egypt's 80 million people and often face attacks from Islamic extremists. Copts joined with Muslims during the protests that ousted Mr. Mubarak, but sectarian troubles have since intensified.


Egypt has been considering new laws designed to stem sectarian violence, including banning protests at places of worship and the use of religious slogans to incite hatred.


In May, 12 people were killed in sectarian clashes between Christians and Muslims after rumors spread that Christians were holding a woman who had converted to Islam.

3 Dead After Thousands Protest in Rare Egypt Outpouring

Thousands of protesters spilled into the streets of Egypt on Tuesday, an unprecedented display of anti-government rage inspired in part by the tumult in the nearby North African nation of Tunisia.

Three people died in the clashes between protesters and police, according to Egypt's official MENA news agency. Two demonstrators died in the eastern city of Suez, and one policeman was killed in Cairo, it said. MENA reported that at least 49 people have been injured.

Earlier, Egypt's Interior Ministry said that 36 police officers had been hurt during the protests.
Throngs in the sprawling capital city marched from the huge Tahrir Square toward the parliament building.
Demonstrators threw rocks at police, and police hurled rocks back. Tear-gas canisters were shot at demonstrators, and the protesters threw them back.

Protest organizers said they hope to capture the regional momentum for political change set by Tunisians, who 10 days ago forced the collapse of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's 23-year rule.
The grievances were foreshadowed by several Egyptians who set themselves or tried to set themselves on fire this month, mirroring the self-immolation of a Tunisian man whose action spurred the uprising there.
The Tunisian uprising was the most successful revolt in the region since 1979, but it is anybody's guess whether uprisings will spread to other Arabic-speaking lands.

The United States and other governments are monitoring the demonstrations in Cairo and elsewhere closely. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged all people to "exercise restraint" and supported "the fundamental right of expression and assembly for all people."

To highlight the role of police corruption, the protest organizers in Egypt picked January 25 -- Police Day and a national holiday -- to hold protests.
The protests started off small, but they grew as people came to the center of the city from bridges over the Nile.
Police were restrained and at times were seemingly outnumbered by the protesters, who sang the national anthem and inched forward to express their ire toward the government.

Protesters had been expressing their anger over the rising cost of living, failed economic policies and corruption, but all those concerns were distilled into one overriding demand : the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak, in power for three decades.

The outpouring included young and old, Christians and Muslims, students, workers and businesspeople.