Derechos Humanos / Human Rights

• Signed by the Governments of Australia, Austria, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Slovakia, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States of America.

 Hong Kong, July 11.– The United States and 20 other countries have issued a joint statement expressing concern about the current and future outlook of press freedom in Hong Kong.

The group of 21 governments—part of the “Media Freedom Coalition” that was established in 2019 to advocate for press freedom and the safety of journalists—pointed to the recent forced closure of Apple Daily, a major pro-democracy newspaper in Hong Kong, and the arrest of the paper’s staff.

Catholics in France were recently confronted by Antifa-like agitators in the streets during a procession to honor the 150th anniversary of the martyrdom of Catholics killed by the Paris Commune.

The agitators shouted menacing slogans: "Down with the clergy!" "Death to Fascists!"

Paris, July 7.– On Saturday, May 29, 2021, Catholic parishes in the 20th district of Paris organized a pilgrimage to honor the memory of Archbishop Georges Darboy, several priests and other religious killed by members of the Paris Commune in 1871. The historic episode became known as the “Haxo Street Massacre.”

About 300 faithful Catholics, priests, and religious took part in the pilgrimage/procession, led by the auxiliary bishop, Most Rev. Denis Jachiet. The destination of the 2.5-mile procession was the parish of Our Lady of Hostages. The church marks the spot where, 150 years earlier, forty-nine hostages, including ten men religious, were shot by Communards—the atheist, anticlerical activists of the Commune. No sooner had the procession started than passersby and people sitting at tables in open-air cafes began to jeer and insult the faithful.

A Peaceful Procession Interrupted by Violence