{"id":373326,"date":"2017-11-13T15:08:07","date_gmt":"2017-11-13T15:08:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=373326"},"modified":"2017-11-13T15:08:07","modified_gmt":"2017-11-13T15:08:07","slug":"south-african-church-group-attacks-johannesburg-police","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2017\/11\/south-african-church-group-attacks-johannesburg-police\/","title":{"rendered":"South African church group attacks Johannesburg police"},"content":{"rendered":"
A South African police officer is recovering in hospital after being attacked by members of a church.<\/p>\n
The incident happened when traffic officers tried to tow away a car belonging to a member of the Johannesburg church.<\/p>\n
A video circulating on social media shows angry congregants approaching the officer, who fired warning shots. The officer is then punched to the ground.<\/p>\n
The church has defended its members’ actions, saying they were attacked.<\/p>\n
In a Facebook post\u201a The Revelation Church of God said: “Instead of police helping to remove squatters from our land\u201a they choose to attack church members with shootings & paper [sic] sprays”<\/p>\n
But many on social media are blaming the church for the incident, which happened during a service on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Local councillor Michael Sun called the attack “cowardly” and called on “the church members where this took place to identify those involved… so these perpetrators can be arrested and charged.”<\/p>\n