Riots broke out on the streets of Sydney amid an armed attack on a priest in an Australian church, Sky News Australia reports.
⠀
It was previously reported that an Assyrian Australian bishop was attacked by a gunman during a church service in Sydney. In a video circulating on social media, Bishop Mar Marie Emmanuel can be seen addressing parishioners, after which a man approaches him and stabs him several times. Police later reported that four people were injured as a result of the armed attack, and the alleged perpetrator was detained.
⠀
“The riots broke out following reports of a stabbing at Fairfield Church in Sydney’s west. People are extremely angry, but understandably so as the leader of their local church was stabbed so horribly. He is still alive and has been taken by ambulance to Liverpool Hospital. Now We are hearing reports that unrest is growing,” the channel said in a statement.
⠀
Local police were forced to use tear gas against angry residents who took to the streets. Footage of the riots posted on social media showed protesting residents throwing bottles and bricks at a police barrier.
⠀
In one video, shouts of “an eye for an eye” could be heard, and footage showed clashes breaking out between members of the crowd. In another video, some of those gathered can be heard shouting: “They are attacking us with gas.” The footage also shows dozens of people banging on the windows of an ambulance, demanding that the criminal be handed over to the crowd.
⠀
Australian police have yet to confirm the identity of the attacker.
⠀
Bishop Emmanuel, who was the target of the attack, rose to prominence during the coronavirus pandemic as a critic of lockdowns and vaccinations. He is a popular blogger.
