Canadian police escort worshippers as ‘bullying’ pro-China protesters surround church holding prayers for Hong Kong

Worshippers ‘would have felt unsafe to just walk out of the door’ without police protection, prayer organiser says

He describes the actions of the flag-waving crowd as bullying and intimidation

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Pro-China protesters surround the Tenth Church in Vancouver, where people were attending a prayer meeting for Hong Kong on Sunday. Photo: Vancouver Christians for Peace, Love and Justice

Published: 12:25pm, 19 Aug 2019Updated: 6:05pm, 20 Aug 2019

Canadian police escorted worshippers out of a Vancouver church on Sunday, after flag-waving pro-China protesters surrounded the building while the Christians attended a prayer meeting for Hong Kong.

The protesters’ actions were described by an organiser of the prayers as “intimidation” and “bullying”.

Chris Chiu said the incident at the Tenth Church, on a leafy street in the city’s Westside area, had left him shaken and fearing for the worshippers’ safety.

The prayer meeting at the small evangelical church began at 3.15pm. Some of the worshippers, including Chiu, arrived from an earlier rally at the Chinese consulate in support of Hong Kong’s protest movement.

The pro-China protesters were accused of intimidation and bullying. Photo: Vancouver Christians for Peace, Love and Justice

But when the 80 or so worshippers tried to leave the church at about 4.15pm they found the building surrounded by the pro-China group. Chiu said there were more than 100 protesters.

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