In the news dated December 28, 2025, about 70 Dutch Chinese Christians and human rights activists gathered in front of the Chinese Embassy in the Netherlands to hold a peaceful rally in support of the Yayang Church in Taishun County, Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province, which has been severely persecuted. Participants held up banners urging the Chinese authorities to immediately stop the oppression of Christians, revoke the wanted orders for church leaders Lin Enzhao and Lin Enci, and release all detained believers.
Yayang Church is a Christian house church network in Yayang Town, Taishun County, which has long resisted the forced display of the Chinese flag, installation of surveillance, and joining the official Three-Self Church system, making it a target for suppression.
Since the “Three Rectifications and One Demolition” campaign started in Zhejiang Province in 2013, churches in the Yayang area have faced cross removals and restrictions on gatherings. In 2017, authorities forcibly entered the Banling Church in Yayang, installing surveillance cameras that led to injuries among believers. In June 2025, Yayang Town Mayor Li Bin and over 100 others forcefully demolished the church walls and gate and raised the Chinese flag inside the church.
The most severe crackdown occurred from December 13 to 18, 2025. The Chinese authorities deployed thousands of police, SWAT teams, and firefighters from cities like Hangzhou and Pingyang to raid at least 12 meeting points in Yayang Town. Hundreds of Christians were taken for interrogation, leaders were arrested, Lin Enzhao and Lin Enci were put on the wanted list, with charges including “provocation.” Following the operation, the local government even celebrated by setting off fireworks.
The protest in The Hague, Netherlands began at 1:30 pm and lasted until 3:30 pm. Participants stood firmly outside the Chinese Embassy in the freezing weather, holding banners in both Chinese and English reading: “Faith is not a crime! Immediately release Wenzhou Yayang Church believers!” and “Over 1,000 Police Raided Yayang House Church.”
The organizer of the event, Voice of Anti-CCP, Liu Feilong, stated: “The Chinese Communist Party has been trampling on the basic human rights of the Chinese people, systematically suppressing various religious groups for years. Many house churches have been brutally suppressed in recent years, such as Zion Church and Autumn Rain Covenant Church. Recently, the CCP’s hands have reached the family churches in the Yayang region of Wenzhou, Zhejiang.”
Before the start of the event, Christian Xia Ying led everyone in prayer for the Yayang Church.
Christian Jiang Li said that during December 13-18, 2025, authorities in Wenzhou, Zhejiang deployed thousands of police and armed forces to conduct massive arrests of unarmed Christians. She emphasized that they were arrested not for breaking the law but for peacefully gathering, praying, worshiping, and studying the Bible. She urged the international community to “stop believing the lies of the Chinese Communist Party.”
Song Mengyuan shared her experience: “Recalling the days of believing in God in China, living in fear every day, many brothers and sisters who believed with me were arrested and imprisoned. I had to constantly move to avoid police pursuit and eventually flee to a foreign land, leaving behind my family, my home, and everything I knew. She stressed that the Yayang incidents are a microcosm of the systematic oppression by the CCP.
Cai Yutong recounted the tragedy of her family being torn apart: “To arrest Christians, the CCP even resorts to bribing people to report believers. I was reported for spreading the gospel and almost got caught; I had to flee overseas to avoid arrest. Even abroad, the CCP continues to harass my parents and threaten my family. Later, my wife was also arrested and detained for attending religious gatherings, ultimately forcing her to sign a letter renouncing her faith.” She called upon international human rights organizations to conduct independent investigations.
Christian Wang Yan from Zhejiang quoted the Bible to encourage the persecuted: “The truth may be suppressed for a while, but it will never be buried.”
Zhang Zhenxing appealed, “If we don’t speak up for Yayang Church today, more churches will be silenced tomorrow. I am a Christian and a Chinese person forced into exile overseas. In my own country, I cannot worship God freely, nor can I safely practice my faith.”
Anti-CCP activists and dissidents also gave speeches. Guangxi Christian Wei Zhijian stated: “The evil regime of the CCP, on this dark day, sent over a thousand fully armed police officers like wild beasts swarming in… This is not law enforcement, this is a violent act, this is a crime!” He called for global condemnation of the CCP.
Wu Xianfen, a dissident from Heilongjiang, pointed out: “The repression by the Chinese government is undemocratic. The Chinese people should have the basic right to religious freedom, and the government should not force individuals to violate their beliefs through coercive means.”
Her son, Jiang Hong, added: “In a pluralistic society, religious freedom is not only a fundamental right but also a touchstone of social conscience.”
Christian dissident Hao Wangyong from Gansu condemned, “We must be clear: prayer is not a crime, loving God is not a rebellion. Christians are peaceful citizens; they seek spiritual elevation and love for their neighbors, not worldly power.”
He called for the release of all illegally detained Christians and boldly stated, “The Communist Party, born in injustice, will die in disgrace!”
Dissidents Xing Songlin and Du Binghui from Henan emphasized the CCP’s violent violations and called for international pressure.
Christian dissident Liu Xiaobin read the “Open Letter to All Communist Party Members,” labeling the CCP as the “largest cult organization in the world” and warning them of divine punishment.
Jehovah’s Witness Liu Bowen from Hubei believed: “This oppression is not coincidental. It stems from a ruling logic that refuses to accept diverse thoughts.”
At the end of the event, volunteer Jiang Peikun burned the photos of two individuals, and the crowd chanted “Down with the Communist Party, the Communist Party must step down, down with Xi Jinping, Xi Jinping must step down.”
The rally was peaceful throughout, with only two police officers and one police car present. They only inquired about the number of attendees and the end time without any interference. Participants emphasized that the event complied with Dutch laws and regulations, advocating for dignity and rational voices.
The persecution of the Yayang Church is not a new occurrence. Epoch Times had previously reported: In Yayang Town, Taishun County, Zhejiang Province, over a hundred individuals from the government forcibly entered the Banling Church, installed surveillance cameras, leading to physical clashes with several believers, resulting in injuries and two individuals being pushed from a height and hospitalized. Radio Free Asia also reported that over a hundred officials were dispatched, and multiple believers were injured in the resistance.
International human rights organizations such as China Aid Association have condemned the recent events, calling for an independent investigation. Participants at the Dutch rally expressed that the religious persecution by the CCP has been ongoing for over a decade, from the removal of crosses to large-scale arrests, exposing its fear of faith. Religious freedom is a universal value, and silence will only enable atrocities.