Huế Phật Đản shootings
The Huế Phật Đản shootings were the deaths of nine unarmed Buddhist civilians on 8 May 1963 in the city of Huế, South Vietnam, at the hands of the army and security forces of the government of Ngô Đình Diệm, a Roman Catholic. The army and police fired guns and launched grenades into a crowd of Buddhists who had been protesting against a government ban on flying the Buddhist flag on the day of Phật Đản, which commemorates the birth of Gautama Buddha. Diệm denied governmental responsibility for the incident and blamed the Việt Cộng, which added to discontent among the Buddhist majority.
| Huế Phật Đản shootings | |
|---|---|
| Part of Buddhist crisis | |
Memorial to the Buddhists killed in the demonstrations during the Phat Dan of 1963 in Hue, Vietnam | |
| Location | Huế, Vietnam |
| Date | May 8, 1963 |
| Target | Buddhists and protesters |
Attack type | Massacre, war crimes |
| Deaths | 8 – 9 Buddhists |
| Perpetrators | army and security forces of the government of Ngô Đình Diệm |
| History of Huế |
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| Vietnam portal |
The incident spurred a protest movement by Buddhists against the religious discrimination that they felt was perpetrated by the Diệm regime; this, known as the 'Buddhist crisis', led to widespread civil disobedience among the South Vietnamese. After six months of tension and growing opposition to the regime, leaders of the army conducted a coup on 1 November 1963; this led to the arrest and assassination of Ngô Đình Diệm the following day.