Nizhyn: UOC cross walkers beaten by radicals prepare a statement to police

Participants in the attack on the prayer procession of the UOC in Nizhyn. Photo: orthodox.cn.ua

Dozens of participants in the cross procession of the UOC who suffered from the actions of radicals in Nizhyn, Chernihiv region on June 23, 2021, prepared an appeal to law enforcement agencies. This was reported by the press service of the Nizhyn diocese of the UOC.

“In light of an attempt to obstruct the traditional cross procession with holy relics and miraculous icons on the feast day of St. John of Tobolsk, dozens of believers prepared an appeal to law enforcement agencies about committing criminal offenses by a number of radical persons,” the diocesan press service said.

Thus, according to the diocese, evidence of the beating of priests and women who took part in the procession has been collected and documented. Also, the radicals who attacked the prayer procession broke the banner with the image of the Savior and stole the priest's cross from the cleric.

In addition, as reported by the Nizhyn diocese, many participants in the radical action had pronounced signs of mental disorders: when miraculous icons appeared, they began to shout out incomprehensible sounds, “one of them, symbolizing Lucifer, attacked the clergy and sacred objects with the severed hoof of an animal. Another representative of this group of persons, calling himself a veteran, began to aim at icons with his own sewage."

“Although this did not prevent hundreds of Nizhyn residents and residents of nearby settlements from performing traditional prayer on the streets of the city, all attempts to obstruct worship and attacks on believers will be transferred not only to domestic law enforcement agencies, but also to international organizations that monitor the state of observance of rights and freedoms in Ukraine," stressed the diocese of the UOC.

As reported by the UOJ, on June 23, Ukrainian "patriots" with US flags attacked the procession of the UOC in Nizhyn. The situation was commented on by the "hierarch" of the OCU, who called the believers of the UOC cattle and urged to disperse cross processions altogether.

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