Coptic Pope calls on Christians in Cairo to end sit-in

May 15, 2011, 12:14 GMT

Cairo - Coptic Pope Shenouda III called on Christians protesting in Cairo to end a sit-in for greater rights, after the group was attacked by armed men overnight.

The Coptic demonstrators were staging a sit-in in front of the State Radio and Television building to demand greater rights and equality against what they believe are injustices against their minority faith when they came under attack.

The attack left 78 people injured, a health official said. Some of them had gunshot injuries.

The pope, in a statement read on TV by one of his aides, said that some outsiders have infiltrated the group of mostly Christian protesters, making the situation more dangerous.

'Now there is fighting and gunshots, which harms Egypt's reputation as well as yours, so you must end your sit-in immediately,' he said.

Dozens of men threw Molotov cocktails at the protesters, who responded by throwing stones back at the attackers.

Police and army forces arrested around 28 suspects.

Violence between Muslims and Christians, once sporadic, has become a recurrent problem in recent months.

The clashes come amid heightened tension in Cairo after 15 Muslims and Christians were killed and over 230 people injured in a severe clash between the two groups last week.

A church and three apartment buildings were set ablaze in the incident.

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