4 Apr 2021
Parishioners have accused London police of trying to find lockdown rule-breaking during an Easter Sunday service to justify having shut down a Good Friday mass at a Polish church.
The Christ the King Polish Roman Catholic Church in Balham, Wandsworth, south London, came to prominence over the weekend after several police officers raided the place of worship on one of the holiest days in the Christian calendar, alleging that the gathering was “unlawful”, threatening the faithful with £200 fines if they did not leave.
The church has demanded an apology from London’s Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and maintains that churchgoers had kept proper social distancing and hygiene procedures in accordance with government rules regarding the reopening of places of worship.