SA police arrest 1,500 in church

South African police have raided Johannesburg's Central Methodist Church, arresting around 1,500 homeless people and Zimbabweans.

Dozens of police, some heavily armed, raided the church compound, rounded up those there and took them away.

The police said they were looking for drugs, guns and illegal immigrants.

But Paul Verryn, the church's bishop, described the raid as a violation of the sanctity of the church. "I think it is despicable," he told the BBC.



http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7219090.stm