Christians blame ‘strangers’ for Cairo riots as toll hits 26

Egypt’s Coptic Church has blasted authorities for allowing repeated attacks on Christians, as the death toll from a night of rioting rose to 26, most of them Christians who were trying to stage a peaceful protest in Cairo over an attack on a church.

The spiritual leader of the Coptic Christian minority, Pope Shenouda III, yesterday declared three days of mourning, praying and fasting for the victims starting today and also presided over funerals for some of the Christians. Sunday night’s violence was the worst in Egypt since the uprising that toppled president Hosni Mubarak in February.

“Strangers got in the middle of our sons and committed mistakes to be blamed on our sons,” the Coptic church said. It lamented “problems that occur repeatedly and go unpunished”.

The clashes raged over a large section of Cairo and drew in Christians, Muslims and security forces. They began when about 1,000 Christian protesters tried to stage a peaceful sit-in outside the state television building on the Nile in central Cairo.

The protesters said they were attacked by “thugs” with sticks. The violence then spiralled out of control after a speeding military vehicle jumped on to a pavement and rammed into some of the Christians.

There is no precise breakdown of how many Christians and Muslims were among the dead, but the 26 are believed to be mostly Christian. Officials said at least three soldiers died. Nearly 500 people were injured. Egypt’s official news agency said dozens were arrested.

Smaller skirmishes broke out again yesterday outside the Coptic hospital where many of the victims were taken the night before. Several hundred Christians pelted police with rocks. Some of the hundreds of men gathered outside the hospital held wooden crosses, and empty coffins were lined up outside.

Christians, who make up about 10 per cent of Egypt’s 85 million people, blame the ruling military council that took power after the uprising for being too lenient on those behind a spate of anti-Christian attacks since Mubarak’s fall.

The Coptic Christian minority is particularly worried about a show of force by ultraconservative Islamists, known as Salafis.

In recent weeks, riots have broken out at two churches in the south, prompted by Muslim crowds angry over church construction. One riot broke out near Aswan, even after church officials agreed to a demand that a cross and bells would be removed from the building.

Aswan’s governor, General The UK condemned the violence. “It’s very important that the Egyptian authorities reaffirm freedom of worship in Egypt,” Foreign Secretary William Hague said.