India: tens of thousands of Christians to protest persecution

April 14, 2011

Tens of thousands of Christians will take to the streets of Mumbai, Delhi, Calcutta, and Bangalore on Good Friday in silent protest of the persecution of Christians in India.

“Anti-Christian attacks by Hindu extremist groups are on the rise: in 2011 there is one attack a day on average,” said lay activist Joseph Dias, head of the Catholic Secular Forum. “Sometimes the attacks are concentrated in some areas, such as Orissa or Karnataka, but we can't say that any state in India is immune.”

“Often the excuse is a false accusation of proselytism and forced conversions,” he added. “The real issue is that Hindu extremists do not tolerate the social commitment of Christians in schools and hospitals, and above all their valuable work in promoting the human, economic and social situation of Dalits and tribals, who are downtrodden and discriminated against in society on the basis of caste, and as a result they often ask to embrace the Christian faith.”

 

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Further information:

• Good Friday march and prayer for the victims of the rising anti-Christian attacks (Fides)