Coptic Christian protesters and Muslim residents clashed violently outside Maspiro, the Egyptian television building, late last night. Local residents gathered before the 15 May Bridge, where they threw stones at protesters and torched several cars. Dozens were injured on both sides. Coptic Christians have staged a sit-in outside Maspiro for the past week. Security forces dispersed protestors using tear gas and rubber bullets, which caused the protestors to rally with cries of ' We won't leave, make them leave," after an incident in which unknown assailants shot at the Coptic protestors. The Egyptian army used armored vehicles, military police, police cars and Central Security Forces to disperse protesters from both sides after residents of Bulaq and Maspiro joined in attacking the Copts at the sit-it. The attacks came after rumors spread that Coptic protesters had beaten a number of Muslim supporters of area residents. Residents rallied around cries of, “Raise your head high, you're a Muslim!” Events escalated when protestors from both sides began to set nearby cars on fire, which forced the Army to fire rounds in the air to disperse the protestors and prevent further clashes. However, the protestors continued to fling bricks and stones one another, resulting in severe casualties on both sides until the army managed to stabilize the situation.
