Commenting on Sunday’s peaceful protest march, which turned violent after the crowd was attacked by police and armed forces, Bishop Angaelos said: “The same army that said in January that it would ‘not fire a single shot against an Egyptian citizen’ …now used live ammunition and excessive force in this situation, firing lethal shots to the chest and head while armoured troop carriers were driven directly into crowds, mowing people down and killing many.” Hundreds of people were injured in the violence, with estimates of the dead ranging from 25 to 41.
Bishop Angaelos also called for an investigation into the actions of the state media, which erroneously claimed the violence had been instigated by armed “Christian” protestors, and called on civilians to take to the streets to “protect” the armed forces. The bishop’s statement outlines “major infringements” by the state media, including “making premature, inflammatory and unsubstantiated claims that Christians had been firing shots at the military, reporting derogatory and inflammatory claims made against demonstrators, expressing disgust at ‘disloyal protestors attacking the army’ and publicly televising insults and profanities against Christians and Christianity.”
The violence unleashed on Sunday against the Coptic and Muslim demonstrators was the latest in a wider trend of violence against Egypt’s Coptic community that has been escalating since the fall of the Mubarak regime in February. Incidents of sectarian violence have been occurring in a climate of impunity, and in his statement Bishop Angaelos also calls for full investigations into all unresolved attacks on Churches and Christians and the prosecution of all perpetrators. He added that Egypt is now at a “turning point”: the country can either embrace “positive reform and the building of a new Egypt …that instills a sense of citizenship, ownership and responsibility into every Egyptian,” or continue “leaving unlawful acts unresolved and unprosecuted, presenting one part of the community as a justifiable target, and continuing to drive a wedge between members of a single society, and this will lead to the demise of all... it is Egypt that will weaken if Egyptians do not stand together, and if this unhealthy separation and discrimination continues.”
The Bishop’s statement comes a day after a controversial press conference in which the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) blamed the protesters for attacking the soldiers, denied that demonstrators had been deliberately run over, claimed foreign powers had fomented the violence, and praised the state media broadcasts.
CSW’s Chief Executive, Mervyn Thomas, said: “CSW welcomes His Grace Bishop Angaelos’ statement and fully endorses his call for thorough investigations into the actions of the military and the irresponsible reporting by the state media during and after Sunday’s protest. It is vital that all unresolved acts of violence against the Coptic community, including this most recent one, are thoroughly addressed and the perpetrators are brought to justice. Moreover, video footage and numerous eyewitness testimonies from members of both religious communities clearly illustrate that the military attacked peaceful demonstrators and sparked the violence. Yesterday’s press conference by SCAF merely served to further undermine its credibility and raise further doubts regarding its capability to effectively oversee a transition to democracy.”
For further information, visit www.csw.org.uk.
