Cairo has had a horrific night with 24 people killed and at least 174 injured in clashes between Muslims and Coptic Christians that have clouded hopes the nation will return to peace and liberty after Hosni Mubarak was toppled in February.
It started out as a peaceful demonstration. Some 10,000 Christians and Muslims had taken to the streets together to protest against recent violence against Christians in Egypt. They had planned to congregate at the state television building north of Tahrir Square but the marchers were attacked before they reached it.
"Stones were thrown at us and there were shots," said Alfred Raouf, a Coptic Christian who was among the demonstrators. "We were shocked." That was only the beginning. The situation escalated in front of the television building. It is unclear who triggered the clashes. "When we arrived, the military immediately started attacking us with tear gas and truncheons," said Beshoy Fayez, a demonstrator.
Other eyewitnesses reported that the crowd threw stones at the security forces, and that a policeman was surrounded and beaten up. "We weren't armed," said Raouf, "we were demonstrating against violence." He said violent thugs had infilitated the marchers to stir trouble. Others [sic] demonstrators agreed with Raouf. » | Viktoria Kleber in Cairo | Monday, October 10, 2011
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