Six Chinese Christians were injured after successfully preventing local communist authorities in the city of Wenzhou from destroying a holy cross of Christ inside their church.

Angry parishioners of the Guantou Christian church fought off a demolition crew sent by the city government to destroy the cross. The demolition crew withdrew after armed security guards wielding batons and riot shields failed to stop the Chinese Christians from retaking the church and protecting the cross with their bodies.

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The clash with the security guards injured from five to six Christians, said news reports.

The exhilarated Chinese Christians in Wenzhou condemned this latest attempt in what they said is a Communist Party crackdown against Christianity in China.

Wenzhou, which is located in Zhejiang province, has been the center of resistance by Chinese Christians opposing the communist's unrelenting oppression of their faith. Wenzhou is known as the "Jerusalem of the East" because 15 percent of its population is Christian, the largest in any Chinese city.

The Sanjiang Christian Church, also in Wenzhou, was destroyed by the local communist government in April. The Chinese authorities said the church was destroyed because it was an illegal structure four times the permitted structure size.

In September 2013, however, the church was praised by the local government as a model engineering project. The Sanjiang Church is located in Yongjia County.

Christian groups are concerned the demolition signals an official campaign against religious organizations in China.

China Aid, a US-based Christian rights group, said Christians are worried that the church's demolition could be a sign the central government in Beijing is tightening its grip over the spread of Christianity in China.

TagsChristians, Wenzhou, cross