Three thousand protesting Christians clashed with some 500 police officers Monday on the outskirts of Hangzhou at the site of partially-built church that faces demolition, AP reported, citing the Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy. Around 20 people were hurt, four of them seriously, as the demolition work went ahead despite one of the largest confrontations between police and Christians in recent years. State media played down the incident, simply saying that an �illegal building�, the construction of which was backed by a �small number of conniving people�, had been demolished. It is claimed that the order to tear down the church came in June as part of provincial government and religious affairs bureau drive to crack down on �illegal religious buildings�.
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