Military and security personnel have clashed with a group of about 2000 protesters, mostly Copts, as they marched towards the Maspiro area on Sunday evening to protest against attacks on Christians. Early reports indicated that the clashes resulted in dozens of injuries, with several people feared dead, including at least one soldier. A number of Coptic activist groups had called for the march on Sunday, starting at the mostly Christian district of Shubra and ending at the state television building, known as Maspiro, calling for an end to abuses against Copts. Their march comes in the wake of the attack on the Marinab Church in Aswan by Muslim citizens on 30 September. The attackers claimed the dome of the church had been built without an official license for construction. As soon as the march arrived to the Maspiro area, gunfire started, according to eye-witness accounts. Two APCs were seen driving towards a group of protesters next to Maspiro, zigzaging through them. Al-Masry Al-Youm reporters say they saw one APC crush 15 people. Many were wounded and motorbikes were used to carry injured protesters away. Protesters showed Al-Masry Al-Youm bullets from the shooting. One protester showed what he said were bits of skull and brain of his friend who was killed after being run over by an APC. At some point during the clashes, several vehicles, including at least one bus and one military vehicle were set on fire. Following the attack, protesters started chanting "The people want the fall of the marshal," referring to Field Marshal Hussein Tantawy, who heads the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF). Last Wednesday, military police forcibly dispersed hundreds of Coptic protesters outside of Maspiro as they were also demonstrating against the church attack.
