Clashes erupted in Cairo on October 9 as Coptic Christians took to the streets protesting against an attack on a church in Aswan last week.
Demonstrations broke out at the state television station as well as at Tahrir Square, now known Martyr Square, with 24 dead and more than 200 wounded. It was reported that protestors began peacefully with a march and a sit-in at the state television building when they came under attack by men in plainclothes.
The anti-riot police reportedly fired tear gas at the protestors. Some reports suggest that protestors had seized weapons from the soldiers and turned them on the military. The protesters claim they were peacefully demonstrating when plainclothes police or security threw stones at them and fired pellets. "The protest was peaceful. We wanted to hold a sit-in, as usual," protestor Essam Khalili told the Associated Press. "Thugs attacked us and a military vehicle jumped over a pavement and ran over at least 10 people. I saw them."
Wael Roufail, another protester, corroborated the account. "I saw the vehicle running over the protesters. Then they opened fired at us," the report added.
Prime Minister Essam Sharaf said on his Facebook page, “The only beneficiary of these events and acts of violence are the enemies of the January revolution and the enemies of the Egyptian people, both Muslim and Christian.”
Although Parliamentary elections are scheduled for November, many are concerned that it will continue to be delayed amid ongoing civil disturbances. Protestors are calling for the resignation of the military’s Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi as well as Suez Governor Mostafa al-Sayed. This is the first time the military has opened fire on demonstrators, and many sources in government organizations inside Cairo predict violence to worsen during upcoming elections.
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