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22. 01. 10. - 12:00

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22. 01. 10. - 12:00

Vienna Coptic Christian protest

More than 800 people demonstrated in Vienna yesterday (Thurs) in protest against the treatment of Coptic Christians in Egypt, police have said.

The protest came after an attack on Coptic Christians by knife-wielding Muslim fanatics on 6 January left eight dead and seven injured in Egypt.

Participants who carried posters reading "we demand freedom of worship and equal treatment" said they wanted to make the European Union aware of Coptic Christians’ plight in Egypt.

William Tadros, a spokesman for the Coptic community in Austria, said: "We have prepared a manifesto calling on the European Union to put pressure on the Egyptian government."

He handed over the manifesto to Richard Kühnel, the head of the European Commission’s office in Austria, at the House of the European Union in Vienna’s inner city at the end of the demonstration.

Tadros also said: "Too little has been done for Coptic Christians in Egypt. We want protection of our human rights, freedom of worship and protection of national minorities in Egypt."

He claimed the adoption of Islamic sharia law in Egypt had robbed Coptic Christians of legal protection and made them second-class citizens.

Members of the Coptic Orthodox Church and other Christian religions comprise 15 per cent of Egypt’s population.

The Austrian Coptic Orthodox Church has 5,000 to 6,000 members, 3,000 of whom live in Vienna. The Church has been officially recognised since 2003.

Austrian Times

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