CAIRO: A number of Palestinians gathered in the West Bank city of Bethlehem on Thursday to mourn the dead of Egypt's bloody events last Sunday. The Palestinians commemorated the victims in a church mass in the Church of Nativity in honor of the 26 people killed and hundreds wounded in Egypt in the worst violence seen since Hosni Mubarak was ousted in January. Coptic priest Father Antonio Alurashalimi explained how Palestinians came to the ceremony because they strongly sympathized with the families of “martyred protesters in Egypt.” “The young people have come today to express their feelings and emotions regarding the Copts who have lost their lives, the martyrs,” he said from the church in Bethlehem. “They are here to comfort their families following this painful event. I would say it was a disgraceful event that should have never happened,” he said. The events saw Coptic Christian protesters killed when the military opened fire on a march at Egypt's state television and radio building, or Maspero, and angry mobs in downtown Cairo in what started out as a protest over an attack on a Coptic church in Edfu, in Upper Egypt. On the night of the events, Egyptian state television said the protesters were armed Copts attacking the military, and urged on civilians to “go and protect the military.” Eyewitnesses close to BikyaMasr.com confirmed that the military opened fire upon protesters and videos posted online show military armored vehicles running over citizens. The military claims the protesters attacked the armed forces, forcing the military to defend itself from the “mob.” The Supreme Council of The Armed Forces (SCAF) decided on Thursday to take over investigations into the clashes, angering activists who fear the military is trying to cover up the events. The October 9 attack has since been dubbed “The Maspero Massacre” by activists. BM
