Police attack demonstrators protesting forced requisition of Catholic church property

On Friday August 15, in Inner Mongolia’s Chifeng Municipality, Linxi County, Dayingzi Village hundreds of people demonstrated in front of the county government headquarters, protesting the forced requisition of a Catholic church’s property to build for-profit residential housing. They demanded the government return the land. 

The Linxi County government has requisitioned 50 mu (sixth of an acre, 0.0667 hectares) of land south of the church for development.

At 8 a.m. Friday, the Catholic faithful assembled in front of the county government headquarters. Many police surrounded them. The government dispatched a deputy county director to negotiate with a church representative but they came to no agreement. After this no government officials were seen. The Catholics had no choice but to continue protesting. At 1 p.m. three ambulances arrived and parked in front of the government headquarters, then a large number of security officials were dispatched, many in plainclothes, and surrounded the unarmed protesters.

At 1:30 p.m. a government SWAT team of more than 30 men arrived and began beating the unarmed protesters. They picked up four pregnant protesters and threw them aside. They also doused the protesters with pepper spray. More than a dozen beaten unconscious and six had to be hospitalized..

Original reports in Chinese: http://news.boxun.com/news/gb/china/2014/08/201408171131.shtml