Thousands of Coptic Christians turned out at the funerals in Cairo for the dozens of peaceful protesters who were run over by army vehicles in the streets.
After the funeral, Muslims blocked the mourners and hurled molotov cocktails at them.
In Cairo, thousands of Copts marched to attend the funeral of the victims of what they termed the “October 9 Military Massacre.” They congregated in front of the Coptic hospital where most of the dead and injured were transported, and which was attacked the night before by Muslims, who hurled bricks and Molotov Cocktails at the victims’ families.
A funeral service presided by Pope Shenouda III was held for the Copts killed in Maspero, at 11 AM at St. Mark’s Cathedral in Abbasiya, Cairo, and was attended by over 10,000 Copts. The funeral was for five Copts only, as the rest of the victims are awaiting for autopsies, on the advice of Coptic lawyers. “This is to safeguard the rights of the dead,” said attorney Dr. Ehab Ramzy, “otherwise the families could lose their case. We need proof.”
After the funeral, while still inside the Cathedral, the enraged Copts chanted “down with the junta rule and down with Tantawi…”
…On their way back after the burial the mourners were attacked by armed thugs who blocked the way and hurled Molotov cocktails at them; gun shots were heard. They sought shelter and called the army emergency phone line for help, they waited until the morning but no one came.
The Coptic Church considers people who lost their lives on account of being Christian as “martyrs” and they will be buried together in a collective grave.
