Crowd in China clashes with police over plans to demolish mosque

BEIJING (AP) — China is calling on protesters to turn themselves in after a crowd clashed with police over plans to demolish a mosque in the country’s southwest as President Xi Jinping’s government tightens control over religion and society. Videos on social media showed protesters throwing water bottles at officers with helmets and shields outside the blue-domed Najiaying Mosque in Yuxi, a city in Yunnan province. One punched a police officer’s helmet but little other violence was shown. Police called on “criminal suspects” to turn themselves in following Saturday’s incident and said those who do might receive lighter punishment. In recent years, authorities have demolished mosques or removed domes and other distinctive Muslim features to transform them into nondescript, Chinese-style buildings.