Catholics violently terrorized by gangs in Vietnam

Vietnamese Catholics become target of hate crimes

Vietnamese Catholics have become the targets of terror and hate crimes in north-east Vietnam.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - According to UCA News, a gang of youths, wearing red T-shirts with yellow stars, have violently attacked a Catholic community in Song Ngoc parish in Quynh Luu District of Nghe An province.

"We see that the attacks have been carried out in an orchestrated manner, and the police know well what is occurring, but are ignoring what is going on," wrote a petition to the Vietnamese government by 11 priests.

The alarmed priests believe the local police have looked the other way and allowed the attacks to continue. They insist the government is "aiding and abetting those who intentionally violate laws, cause hatred and divide Catholics from others."

Since the beginning of June, at least two Catholics were severely injured. The gang members ride motorcycles at top speed and attack at night. They throw stones at churches and Catholic homes. They also reportedly entered Catholic businesses to intimidate the owners.

According to UCA, in one instance, the gang members took in knives to threaten the Catholic owner and destroyed his merchandise.

The motive behind the frightening attacks could be tied to an incident last year where a couple of priests were active in helping the town's fishermen sue the Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Corp for marine pollution.

Despite any possible reasoning behind the attacks, no one person deserves this treatment. Please join us in praying for the safety of those Catholics living in fear of danger.

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