20110310
Xinhua
CAIRO, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Egypt's army on Wednesday evacuated Copt protestors from the Tahrir square in downtown Cairo, state- run MENA reported.

Thousands of Copts had gathered for five days in the Tahrir square, the epic center for demonstrations since Jan. 25, protesting over a church which was torched in a village in Helwan Governorate, south of Cairo.

They demanded ending the sectarian clashes against them, rebuilding the burnt Shahedain church, securing their houses, compensating for their losses and forming a fact-finding committee to investigate the violence attacks.

A fight among members of a Muslim family on Friday evening over the alleged romantic relationship between a Muslim girl and a Christian merchant left two dead, including the girl's father. After the funeral, crowds of Muslims from the village marched towards the Shahedain church, broke into the church and torched it.

The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces headed by Hussein Tantawi met with Prime Minister of the caretaker government Essam Sharaf and discussed the destabilization situation in Egypt.

In the meeting, they stressed the importance of national security after attempts to spread sectarian sedition which affects the economic development.