Video Shows Egyptian Police Beating a Christian Protester
“(AINA) — On October 4 thousands of Copts staged a peaceful rally to protest the September 30 torching by Muslims of St. George’s Church in Elmarinab, Edfu, Aswan province. They marched through the streets of Cairo, passing by the High Court and ending outside the state TV building in Maspero, where they intended to stage an open-ended sit-in, as announced by the Maspero Coptic Youth Union and Copts without Barriers, which organized the rally.
After a couple of hours, the military and police, together with Central Security personnel brutally forced the eviction of the protesters. The forces fired gunshots in the air to terrorize the protesters, who were beaten with batons. A priest, Father Mattias Nasr, was pushed to the ground and beaten. Mobile phones and cameras were confiscated from anyone trying to take photos of the assault.
Video footage taken from the balcony of a nearby building surfaced later on youtube, it showed the military and police beating 28-year-old Copt Raef Anwar Fahim, who had the misfortune to stumble while fleeing and was left behind by his colleagues who were being chased by the police in the surrounding streets.
‘I was the last one behind, a policeman hit me with a baton on the shoulder and I fell,’ he said. ‘They were firing live ammunition. In a manner of seconds over 15 policemen attacked me.'” Read more.




Recent Comments