China deploys police, makes arrests after mosque clashes

China deployed hundreds of police and made arrests in a mostly Muslim southwestern town after clashes erupted over the planned partial demolition of a mosque.

China deployed hundreds of police and made arrests in a mostly Muslim southwestern town after clashes erupted over the planned partial demolition of a mosque, witnesses told AFP.

The town of Nagu, Yunnan province, recently pushed ahead with plans to raze four minarets and the dome roof of the Najiaying Mosque, a resident said on Monday, requesting anonymity.

The area is home to a sizable enclave of Hui, a predominantly Muslim ethnic group who have come under pressure in the face of a broad crackdown.

On Saturday, dozens of officers wielding truncheons and riot shields repelled a crowd outside the mosque that was hurling objects at them, videos circulating on social media and the witness said.

"They want to proceed with forced demolitions, so the people here went to stop them," a local woman who also asked not to be identified told AFP.

"The mosque is home for Muslims like us," she said. "If they try to knock it down, we certainly won't let them."

"Buildings are just buildings — they do no harm to people or society. Why do they have to destroy them?"