By Dawn's Early Light: 400 Launch Violent Attack on Fushan House Church
by Staff
September 16, 2009
SHANXI, China, (christiansunite.com) -- At 3:00 AM the morning of Sunday, September 13, 2009, 400 deviants in police suits and red armbands broke into the "Good News Cloth Shoes Factory", on the site of Fushan Church's new building in Linfin City, Shanxi province. Two shovel loaders tore at the building foundations, while the mob, with bricks and other blunt instruments in hand, beat Fushan church members who were sleeping at the church construction site. Within the hour, more than ten church members lay bleeding heavily; some were severely injured and sent to the emergency room.The local emergency room was instructed to withhold treatment and prohibit blood transfusions for the injured church members. The power, water and telephone signals to the factory were cut off.
Local government officials and police were identified among the wild crowd of attackers. The vandals smashed the windows, doors, kitchen utensils, refrigerators and motorcycles. Leaving destruction in their wake, they looted the television and other appliances, and stole church members' money, cell phones, clothes, books, and even the factory's business license
After the demolition and looting, officials deliberately disposed of the evidence, and cleaned up some of the mess to hide their involvement. At noon on September 13th, thousands of church members gathered at the site in grief. They asked factory coworkers and community members to visit and pray for them.
ChinaAid President Bob Fu denounces this injustice: "We are totally shocked to hear of this bloody crackdown against innocent Christian believers by the Fushan county officials." said Mr. Fu. "We urge the Chinese government to hold those abusive officials accountable and take concrete actions to guarantee the Fushan citizens' religious freedom."
ChinaAid calls on the international community to voice their protests against the brutal treatment of Christians to the Chinese government, and to pray for justice and healing for the victims of the attack. We further pray for the souls of the participants in the crime, that they will be internally convicted of their inhumane treatment of others and disregard for basic human life.
