CAIRO: The 6 of April Movement blamed Egypt's state television for the violence that erupted late on Sunday and left at least 25 Coptic protesters dead and hundreds injured after they aired false news about the death of army soldiers at the hands of armed protesters. “State TV is responsible for the what happened yesterday because of the false report that army soldiers were killed and ignored reporting about armored vehicles running over protesters,” the group said on its Twitter account on Monday evening. Videos posted online by rights activists show several armored vehicles driving outside the state TV building, hitting a number of Egyptians and killing some. State TV reported Sunday in its coverage of the violence that the Coptic protesters were armed and they opened fire killing three army soldiers. Then, they aired a message from the armed forces asking the Egyptian people to “protect them” from the Copts. Coptic protesters who were unarmed, were greeted by gun fire upon the arrival of their march to the state TV building on Sunday. Angry citizens, agitated by State TV reports, took arms and clashed with Coptic protesters, raising the toll of injuries and deaths. State TV is under fire from activists and Egyptian thinkers who accuse it of causing sectarian violence in the country and some activists have called for a total boycott of any brand that advertises on its screens, while others called for more protests in front of the building. BM
