The day after riots that left 24 dead, several hundred Christians pelted police with rocks outside a Cairo hospital. The clashes between army forces and pro-Coptic Christian have been called the worst in Egypt since Hosni Mubarak was ousted in February. Egyptian Prime Minister Essam Sharaf warned that the riots were a setback in the transition to civilian rule.
The riots grew out of a protest that began when about 1000 Christians marched peacefully toward the Egypt state television building. The protesters say they were attacked by “thugs”, and the violence then spiraled out of control once the military became involved. There have been a number of anti-Christian attacks since Mubarak’s fall. The Christian minority blames the military for being too lenient against those behind the attacks.
