Egypt's liberal Wafd Party on Monday condemned sectarian violence in Imbaba that left 12 people dead and 240 injured, blaming the events on members of former President Hosni Mubarak's regime.
"Evil hands working in the dark in an attempt to undermine Egypt's stability and unity are the remnants of the former regime and its fifth column," the party's Alexandria branch said in a statement released Monday.
On Saturday, rumors that Copts were detaining a woman who had allegedly converted to Islam led to clashes in the Cairo neighborhood. The Egyptian government has since vowed to prosecute people who intentionally ignite sectarian strife.
The party said the 25 January revolution was an effort to establish a free and lawful state but that some people are trying to replace freedom with chaos and lawlessness.
Spokesman Rashad Abdel Aal said the Wafd Party calls on the military and the interm cabinet to impose "a harsher punishment" for those who instigate such strife.
The party added that national unity between Muslims and Christians is a “red line which no one is allowed to cross.”
Translated from the Arabic Edition
