Police are being accused of using excessive force in arresting protesters at Holy Cross Catholic Church, Hong Kong.
CNA reports the excessive force was deployed as peaceful pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong escalated into violence.
Video on social media shows at least four riot police officers entering offices at the Church and violently subduing a protester.
Another angle of the incident shows a police officer planting a hammer into the backpack of a protester as he lay prostrate.
Claims on social media implicating a deacon working at the Church as having called the police have been countered.
The Church says the deacon hurried to the scene as soon as the police began making the arrests.
“On his arrival, however, those protesters were already under arrest and shortly later they were escorted to the police car and taken away. Therefore, it was in fact not Deacon Simon Chan himself who allowed the police to enter the church compound,” the diocese said.
In response to queries as to why the church allowed the police to enter to arrest the protesters, the diocese stated, “there is no way for a church to guarantee that those who enter it will not be arrested according to the law.”
“We deeply regret that the above incident has taken place.”
“It is our earnest hope that the current turmoil in Hong Kong will come to an end and that the local situation will be back to normal as soon as possible,” the diocese concluded.
The largely peaceful protests began earlier in the year.
The protests are in response to a proposal in the Hong Kong legislature that will allow mainland China to extradite alleged criminals from Hong Kong.
Christians and advocates have widely opposed the bill.
They fear the Chinese government will use the powers to further tighten its grip on the free exercise of religion.
- Source: CNA