CAIRO: An Egyptian court postponed the trial of activists accused of attacking military personnel on October 9, 2011, when the armed forces opened fire and ran over a largely Christian demonstration in front of the State Television and Radio building, or Maspero. The activists, some 29 in total, have been reprimanded for 15 more days as investigations continue. The next trial date is scheduled for September 3. The court on Monday said they wanted to give witnesses a chance to tell their story, which includes seeing the military's armored vehicles running over and crushing to death demonstrators. Among the charges leveled against the activists are inciting to violence and stealing weapons from the soldiers present. At least 27 civilian were killed by the military-instigated violence. Egypt's military claims that one soldier was also killed in the violence, but have not given any evidence on the matter. Known locally as the “Maspero Massacre,” on October 9 in the early evening a march of mostly Coptic Christians calling for rights arrived at the state TV building and soon after police and military forces guarding the building used violence against the protesters thinking they planned to break into the building, which looks like a fortress with meters of barb wire, cameras and guards. The armed forces opened fire and ran over protesters with armored vehicles in the bloody violence. The Copts were protesting the burning of Church a week earlier in Aswan and demanded the removal of the governor. The Maspero events left a scare in the national psyche as tens of residents responded to the military after it claimed it was under attack and created street clashes that left more dead and injured.
