Egyptian Army Crushes Christians With Armoured Vehicles

Edit:  the drivers of these vehicles look pretty determined to run people over.  There are thirty nine dead so far.

Remember when the secular media was excited about the so-called Arab Spring? 

It shouldn't take an expert in Middle Eastern Affairs to know what happens in the wake of an Arab Revolt. The passions run high and so even the Army and the government can't resist joining in.

Here's an excerpt of an eyewitness narrative of the events so far.

The march from the Cairo district of Shubra was huge, like the numbers on 28 January. In the front row was a group of men in long white bibs, “martyr upon demand” written on their chests. A tiny old lady walked among them, waving a large wooden cross: “God protect you my children, God protect you.”

The march started down Shubra Street around 4 pm, past its muddle of old apartment buildings, beat up and sad but still graceful compared with the constructions from the Mubarak era next to them - brutish and unfinished-looking.

A man explained why there were bigger numbers than the march last week in response to the attack on the St. George’s Church in Aswan: the army had hit a priest while violently dispersing Coptic protesters in front of the Maspiro state TV building on Wednesday. A video posted online showed a young man being brutally assaulted by army soldiers and riot police.

Muslims Attack Church and Threaten to Kill Priest

Minya, 24 June (AKI) - Hundreds of Muslim extremists surrounded a church in central Egypt and threatened to kill the local priest, the Assyrian International News Agency reported. The extremists began targeting the church in a village 7 kilometres south of the city of Minya in March after renovation work began, threatening to demolish the church.

AINA Friday cited eyewitnesses as saying that the Muslim mob, dressed in white robes and long beards, chanted: "We will kill the priest, we will kill him and no one will prevent us."

One of their leaders was cited as saying they would "…cut him to pieces," AINA reported.

The priest Father George Thabet, who was holding morning mass and was locked in the church with several parishioners. Security forces arrived five hours later and escorted the priest away in a police car to the Coptic Diocese in Minya.

Link to IGN, here.

Copts Are Fighting Back

[AlMasryAlYoum] Sectarian clashes between a number of Muslims and Coptic Christians resurfaced in the Fateh district of Shubra al-Kheima on Monday, after two Muslims were shot and killed by a Copt on Sunday. Security forces surrounded the area, imposed a security cordon around churches in the area and arrested seven Muslims and Copts carrying weapons. In a confrontation, one police officer was shot in the foot.


A security official told Al-Masry Al-Youm that a number of Muslims went to the Shubra al-Khaima Church on Monday after learning that the killer was hiding there. Clashes erupted and gunfire was exchanged.
The official went on to say that the police imposed a security cordon around the area and arrested four Copts and three Muslims who had a machine gun, five pistols and 235 bullets in their possession.

Link to original...