by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) - Video footage of a violent police raid on a church in the Fujian province of China was posted by Christian watchdog group ChinaAid this week. Broadcast by Fox News, the 11-second video shows members of the Xingguang Church blocking police officers who were forcibly entering the premises and a member being dragged out of the door.
Giving a fuller report of the raid last week, ChinaAid stated the church service was being held in a private residence when “police broke down barriers and brought three people out.” ChinaAid sources said the police had no warrants.
Moreover, ChinaAid said: “The Christian men guarding the door were beaten and pinned down. Officers confiscated phones and used brutal force against some Christian women as well.” ChinaAid says at least one church member needed medical treatment after the raid. According to reports received by ChinaAid, the church was then banned.
The raid occurred amidst ongoing reports of long-term harassment and persecution of Christians in China, including arrests, detention, and confiscation of Biblical materials.
In January this year, the CEO of Christian watchdog group Open Doors David Curry said China under President Xi Jinping was preparing a “blueprint” “system of persecution for the future."
According to ChinaAid, “Christians living in President XI Jinping’s current regime have experienced more arrests, imprisonments, and church closures than at any other time since Mao’s Cultural Revolution.”