Several of the faithful involved in the protest believe the government has been emboldened in its persecution of religious groups by the Sino-Vatican agreement.
Alexander Tschugguel, 26, of Vienna, Austria, spoke to LifeSite co-founder John-Henry Westen, telling him, “for me, it was really bad, because I saw in those statues and in those idols…a break of the First Commandment.” He says he was motivated simply by the desire to “bring pagan things out of a Catholic Church.”