A standoff between protestors and police at a Redemptorist monastery in Hanoi erupted yesterday as security forces tried to destroy crucifixes and icons of the Virgin Mary that protestors erected in a land of dispute.
Police in Hanoi took stronger measures to disperse Vietnamese Catholic protestors who have sought the return of property confiscated by the government and have been demonstrating at Hanoi Redemptorist monastery since January, 2008. Yesterday morning, hundreds of police came to the site of the protests. They threw away icons of the Virgin Mary and tried to destroy an altar in the area.
Security forces only withdrew after thousands of Catholics rushed to the site to join with Redemptorists and their parishioners in an effort to protest the blasphemy.
The incident occurred after a long media campaign run by the Voice of Vietnam, the Hanoi Television, the police newspaper Capital Security, the New Hanoi newspaper, and some other state-owned media to accuse the Catholic demonstrators of occupying state-owned land, gathering and praying illegally in public areas, illegally erecting crucifixes and icons of the Virgin Mary, and disturbing public order.
The campaign had erupted right after French WYD pilgrims visited the site on the way return home from Sydney. Dozens of French pilgrims prayed at the site to show their solidarity with the protestors.
The demonstrations have been taking place near the confiscated property, which consists of 15 acres of land purchased by the Redemptorist religious order in 1928. Most of the Redemptorists were jailed or deported after the Communist takeover in 1954, leaving a local priest in charge of the land. Despite the pastor’s protests, local government authorities have seized the parish’s land one section at a time. The 15-acre plot has been reduced to about half an acre.
At the beginning of 2008, the government allowed construction to begin at the site for the Chien Thang sewing company. The confiscated property was then surrounded by a fence and guarded by security personnel.
Local Catholics began their protests in early January, leading prayer campaigns, demonstrations, and sit-ins at the site in an attempt to prevent any further construction work by the state-run company.
After three months of these protests, the People’s Committee of Dong Da District released a statement on April 6 warning the protesters that they were engaged in “illegal activities.” The statement threatened “extreme action” if demonstrations and sit-ins at land owned by the Redemptorist religious order were not halted by April 7. The statement also ordered the Hanoi Redemptorists to remove the cross and all statues of the Virgin Mary from the site, while all demonstrators were ordered to remove their camping tents.
However, Catholic protestors persist that they have their rights to protest against an obvious injustice.
Hundreds of protestors are presently camped at the site. Demonstrators attend Mass each morning and evening, where plain clothed and uniformed police officers reportedly photograph and videotape them in what is seen as an intimidation tactic.
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| A plain clothed police taking down an icon of Mother of Perpetual Help |
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| An icon of Mother of Perpetual Help was thrown to the ground |
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| Police at the site |
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| Protestors arguing with plain clothed police officers |
Security forces only withdrew after thousands of Catholics rushed to the site to join with Redemptorists and their parishioners in an effort to protest the blasphemy.
The incident occurred after a long media campaign run by the Voice of Vietnam, the Hanoi Television, the police newspaper Capital Security, the New Hanoi newspaper, and some other state-owned media to accuse the Catholic demonstrators of occupying state-owned land, gathering and praying illegally in public areas, illegally erecting crucifixes and icons of the Virgin Mary, and disturbing public order.
The campaign had erupted right after French WYD pilgrims visited the site on the way return home from Sydney. Dozens of French pilgrims prayed at the site to show their solidarity with the protestors.
The demonstrations have been taking place near the confiscated property, which consists of 15 acres of land purchased by the Redemptorist religious order in 1928. Most of the Redemptorists were jailed or deported after the Communist takeover in 1954, leaving a local priest in charge of the land. Despite the pastor’s protests, local government authorities have seized the parish’s land one section at a time. The 15-acre plot has been reduced to about half an acre.
At the beginning of 2008, the government allowed construction to begin at the site for the Chien Thang sewing company. The confiscated property was then surrounded by a fence and guarded by security personnel.
Local Catholics began their protests in early January, leading prayer campaigns, demonstrations, and sit-ins at the site in an attempt to prevent any further construction work by the state-run company.
After three months of these protests, the People’s Committee of Dong Da District released a statement on April 6 warning the protesters that they were engaged in “illegal activities.” The statement threatened “extreme action” if demonstrations and sit-ins at land owned by the Redemptorist religious order were not halted by April 7. The statement also ordered the Hanoi Redemptorists to remove the cross and all statues of the Virgin Mary from the site, while all demonstrators were ordered to remove their camping tents.
However, Catholic protestors persist that they have their rights to protest against an obvious injustice.
Hundreds of protestors are presently camped at the site. Demonstrators attend Mass each morning and evening, where plain clothed and uniformed police officers reportedly photograph and videotape them in what is seen as an intimidation tactic.