Xá Lợi Pagoda raids

Xá Lợi Pagoda raids.
The Xá Lợi Pagoda raids were attacks on various Buddhist pagodas in South Vietnam in 1963, executed by the Army of the Republic of Vietnam Special Forces and combat police, who both took their orders from Ngô Đình Nhu, brother of President Ngô Đình Diệm. South Vietnam's Buddhist majority were protesting religious bias and discrimination, and temples in major cities, notably Xá Lợi Pagoda (pictured) in Saigon, became focal points for protesters. On 21 August, Nhu's men attacked, looted and vandalised the pagodas. In Huế, street battles erupted between government forces and rioting civilians. Over 1,400 Buddhists were arrested, and estimates of the number dead or missing ranged up to the hundreds. The Ngô family claimed that the army had carried out the raids; this was later debunked, prompting the United States to turn against the regime, leading to Diệm's overthrow. In response to the raids, several public servants resigned, and university and high school students boycotted classes and staged demonstrations.