CAIRO: Egyptian activists have condemned the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) decision to take over an investigation into the October 9 violence that left 26 Coptic Christians dead and hundreds wounded in front of the country's state television and radio building, or Maspero. On that day, eyewitnesses and Bikyamasr.com confirm that the military opened fire upon Coptic protesters and videos posted online show military armored vehicles running over citizens. However, the military claims the protesters attacked the armed forces, forcing the military to defend itself from the “mob.” On Thursday, the military prosecutor said his office would be taking over the investigation into the causes of the violence, despite widespread testimony from survivors of the attack being published across local and international media singling out the military and state television for inciting sectarian violence after the military opened fire on protesters. “It is despicable and disgusting what the military is doing now,” said Sarah Maguid, an Egyptian activist who took part in a candlelight vigil in downtown Cairo on Thursday evening. “We know the truth and the military wants to cover up the killing of innocent people because they want power.” The sad fact, she said, was that “too many Egyptians believe the official line and this makes it hard to battle against their propaganda.” The move by the military to take over the investigation means that the civilian prosecutor who had been conducting an inquiry into the violence, will be unable to continue the work. Ahmed Seif of the Hisham Mubarak Law Center told Bikyamasr.com that there “is no transparency in the military and we all know the truth. This is there way of covering it all up and blaming the Christians.” The military gave a controversial press conference on Wednesday, where they claimed protesters fired at the soldiers, killing as many as 7, but would not give any physical evidence supporting their claim, arguing instead that “it would hurt troop morale” if the dead were shown. One activist, May, told Bikyamasr.com that “they didn't seem to have a problem with large funerals and pictures when Israel killed soldiers. Wouldn't that hurt morale?” She added that “Christians were slaughtered and the military told the country to come and attack protesters on Sunday, and now they want to hide their crimes.” On Thursday evening, a small gathering a around 500 protesters quickly widened into over 1,000 as they marched through the streets of downtown Cairo, chanting “down with Tantawi,” in reference to the head of the SCAF. The anger against the military is growing and a number of activists are calling for a massive protest at Maspero, the same location of the violence, on Saturday to demand the military step down and hand over power to a full civilian government, nearly 10 months after the January revolution ousted Hosni Mubarak. BM
