At Least 23 Killed as Egyptian Troops Attack Protesting Christians

Junta Demands Christians 'Show Restraint' While Urging Citizens to Attack Them

Christian protests starting in the southern city of Luxor were quelled by the governor, but riots broke out in the capital city of Cairo today, leaving at least 23 people dead and another 160 wounded as military forces moved against Coptic Christians.

The protests began over the destruction of a church is Aswan, which was destroyed when the governor declared it to be illegally built. The move fueled anger among the nation’s Christian minority, which has long been convinced that the junta is persecuting them.

That was when demonstrators marched on a Cairo TV station, a move which the junta answered by driving military vehicles into the crowd, crushing several people and sparking a full-fledged riot.

The state media has since broadcast demands urging “honest Egyptians” in Cairo to take to the streets and save the junta from the Christians, which by evening led to gangs of Islamists taking to the streets chanting “the people want to bring down the Christians.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.