Thousands of people in Tanta and Alexandria attended funerals on Monday for the victims of the Palm Sunday church bombings, amid chants against terrorism and demands for their loved ones to be avenged.
In Alexandria, the bodies of seven Copts received a majestic funeral procession to the monastery of Mar Mina in the Borg al-Arab area where prayers were held for them. Hundreds of people gathered for the funeral of the police victims Brigadier Najwa Abdel-Halim Al-Hajjar and Corporal Omnia Mohammad Rushdi. In Sharqeya governorate, hundreds attended the funeral of Private Mohamed Refaat al-Mansy.
The funeral procession for the martyrs started at St. Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral and continued to the Monastery of Saint Mina in western Alexandria. They were buried in a mass grave, amid presence from security and church officials.
After the arrival of the general bishops participating in the prayers for the deceased, cries and wailing from the martyrs' families could be heard. The Bishop General, secretary of the Holy Synod, Rafael called for calm and gave a brief speech in which he asserted that evil thoughts are alienated from God and wisdom does not enter evil souls.
In Tanta, the church received the bodies of the victims, who left the morgue at midnight inside ambulances. Police closed all the streets leading to the church and cordoned off the area.
Large numbers of residents of the city and neighboring cites came to the church to offer their condolences to the families of the victims. Dozens of Copts lined up in front of the church to try and enter the prayer hall for the martyrs. They chanted slogans condemning the incident and described the dismissal of the former security chief of the governorate as "the least that could be done."
