Devotees protest after Abe’s killing

THOUSANDS of Unification Church members gathered in Seoul yesterday to protest what they call discriminatory and unfair Japanese media coverage of their church since former prime minister Shinzo Abe’s assassination.

The suspect in Abe’s July 8 shooting, Tetsuya Yamagami, bore a grudge against the church, alleging it bankrupted his mother and blaming Abe for promoting it. “Stop biased reporting and religious persecution!” demonstrators in the South Korean capital chanted in Korean and Japanese, holding placards reading “Respect religious freedom!” and “Stop hate speech” toward the church.

Long-standing links between the strongly anti-communist church, which critics call a cult, and Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, have hurt the popularity of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s government, prompting him to reshuffle his cabinet last week.

Founded in South Korea in the 1950s by self-declared messiah Sun Myung Moon and known for its mass weddings, the group has faced criticism for its fundraising and other issues. The church says it is a legitimate religious movement.

Demonstrators at the central Seoul rally, who numbered about 4 000, called for respecting religious freedom and said a prayer to mourn Abe’s death.

Participants said the Japanese press vilified the Unification Church, tying it to Abe’s killing and exposing members to social discrimination, while a police investigation of the shooting was still under way.