Christian activist denounces violence against anti-coup protesters

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Founder of the Egyptian movement Christians against the Coup Rami Jan has denounced the remarks of Coptic businessman Naguib Sawiris, who said that anti-coup protests should be met with violence. Jan warned that taking such actions would put Egypt on the verge of civil war.

Jan said that by threatening to attack the protesters, it suggests that Sawiris himself owns “armed militias for spreading violence”.

Speaking to Al-Jazeera Mubashir Misr, Jan pointed out that: “Sawiris’s remarks are full of contradictions. He says that the number of anti-coup protesters are few, and yet at the same time, he accuses the [protesters] of causing trouble for Egyptians’ lives.”

He also affirmed that Sawiris’s remarks confirm that Egypt is experiencing a “real economic crisis”, contrary to what the coup authorities are saying.

Sawiris, who has been accused by many anti-coup activists of financing activities to undermine the 25 January Revolution, had previously accused anti-coup protesters of violence and pledged to take action against them.

He threatened that: “If the current authorities do not want to take action against the [protesters], we are able to take that step… We do not want to go down because we do not want bloodshed. But leaving the army and the police alone in the battle is not right.”

Jan sharply criticised these remarks and strongly denied that Christians want to raise weapons against their Muslim brothers.