By Zach Waksman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East
CAIRO, Egypt – The Egyptian revolution that galvanized the “Arab Spring” that dominated headlines for much of the summer approached a new flashpoint Sunday, as the military fired on Coptic Christians who were marching toward Maspero. At least 25 people were killed. This incident further eroded public confidence in the military, which has acted as a temporary ruling body since former President Hosni Mubarak was deposed in February.
Thousands gather at Cairo’s Abbasiya Cathedral to mourn the victims of the crackdown on Coptic Christians. (Photo Courtesy of Daily News Egypt)
It was not supposed to be like this. Eight months ago, Egyptians celebrated as the military refused to follow orders from Mubarak to fire on protesters against his regime. Since Mubarak’s abdication of power, the provisional ruling council has been under near constant fire for general incompetence in governing and its efforts to retain power now that they are in charge.
The march took place in response to a Muslim attack on a church in the Aswan province that the government did not investigate in the aftermath. After stones were thrown back and forth between the Christian activists and observers, the military intervened by firing tear gas and live ammunition into the crowd of about 2,000 peaceful demonstrators. Human Rights Watch believes that at least 17 deaths were the result of being run over by armored vehicles. State-run television said that the Coptic Christians, who make up about 10 percent of Egypt’s population of about 85 million, were attacking the military and called for civilians to fight back against the demonstrators. The Minister of Information has since retracted those statements, attributing them to the announcers being under “emotional stress.”
Regardless of why the riot took place, it does not reflect well on the Egyptian provisional government, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF).
“This [incident] reflects an unprecedented failure in running the country during the transitional period,” said Egyptian political analyst Khalil al-Anani. “Since 11 February, the country has been going from worse to worst. If the military stays in power for much longer, the country might head towards more violence, and social peace will be in jeopardy.”
In response to Sunday’s shootings, Finance Minister Hazem el-Beblawi resigned from his position, saying that it was time for a different way of thinking. The resignation comes as the Coptic community called for a three-day fast to mourn those who died in the violent crackdown. Thousands attended mass at the Abbasiya Cathedral to honor the dead. Several Muslims also attended as a show of solidarity. The ceremony doubled as a protest for the living, who expressed frustration at the military’s response.
A Coptic lawyer who spoke on condition of anonymity said, “Every event that takes place in Egypt against Copts is never investigated properly. Why did they open fire on peaceful protesters while they did not against those who attacked the Israeli embassy?”
The SCAF has called for an investigation of the incident. But in making that decision, it blamed the conflagration on “efforts by some to destroy the pillars of the state and sow chaos” and said it would “take the necessary measures to restore the security situation.” What that means is uncertain, as the government did not explain why it opened fire on the protesters. As of Monday, Egyptian news organizations said that at least 15 people were in custody and facing questioning about their involvement as instigators of the riot.
That an investigation will happen at all may be good news for the Egyptian people, “who feel that military has not been interested in finding out who is behind the events of Sunday night,” according to Al Jazeera’s Sherine Tadros. The Coptic community remains skeptical, as it has long been the victim of various forms of discrimination by the government, even before Mubarak fell. Since then, the SCAF has done nothing to make practicing their religion easier or bring perpetrators of acts against Christians to justice
To columnist Karina Kamal, Sunday’s crackdown indicates that the SCAF does not plan to ease tensions between the two religions. “[T]he military has given a clear sign that Copts are easy targets,” she said. “We have reached the climax… We will either have a civil war or rational people will be able to take the country in the right direction.”
For more information, please see:
Al Jazeera — Egypt Army Seeks Probe into Cairo Clashes — 11 October 2011
BBC — Egypt Minister Hazem el-Beblawi Quits over Coptic Clash — 11 October 2011
Al-Masry Al-Youm — Maspero Violence Raises Questions about Military’s Fitness to Run Egypt — 10 October 2011
Daily News Egypt — Thousands Mourn Victims of Maspero Violence; Church Blames ‘Infiltrators’ — 10 October 2011
Egyptian Gazette — Maspero Probe States; Egypt Copts Angry — 10 October 2011
Human Rights Watch — Egypt: Investigate Violence against Coptic Christians — 10 October 2011
New York Times — Copts Denounce Egyptian Government over Killings — 10 October 2011
