The family of a Toronto man who died while protesting on the streets of Alexandria is speaking out about the violence in Egypt and calling for action from the Canadian government.
Amr Kassem, 26, who lives in Toronto with his wife and child was shot and killed after taking part in a large rally in Alexandria on Friday, protesting the crackdown by security forces against anti-government demonstrators.
His wife Asmaa Hussein, who is a Canadian citizen, spoke to Global News via Skype about the death of her husband.
“Suddenly I got a call from his cellphone and it was just a man who had found him or was with him and told me what happened to (Amr Kassem),” said Hussein.
On Saturday Hussein attended her husband’s funeral where she was attacked by an angry mob hurling rocks.
“They were attacking people with rocks and small pocket knives. There were several people who were injured, who were stabbed,” said Hussein.
Hussein who is still in Alexandria with here nine-month-old child is facing the challenging task of returning to Canada.
In Toronto, Hussein’s brothers are calling for the Canadian government to step-in and help bring their sister and her small child home.
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“I want the Canadian government to do more. I want Stephen Harper to personally intervene and make sure that she is out of there safely,” Abdul Rahman Hussein, told Global News. “That is what Her and her nine-month-old Canadian baby.”
Hussein’s brothers say that Kassem was not political and that from the shock of witnessing the deaths of protesters in Egypt he felt compelled to take action.
“A super kind guy, always smiling. A very nice person and he just life. And to see him go is a shock for me and the whole family,” Ibraheem Hussein told Global News.
On Saturday rallies were held in cities across Canada to protest the ongoing violence in Egypt.
More than 800 have people have been killed in Egypt this week as Muslim Brotherhood-led protesters continue to denounce the ouster of President Mohammed Morsi.
-With files from Alan Carter
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