Lies by the priests and widespread enmity finally came to a head in a mob attack on Brother Metcalfe and his companion, Brother Chaffin, in the city of Cork in 1948.

MOB VIOLENCE IN CORK

Once when Brother Chaffin was in field service, a crowd of women belligerently surrounded him, accused him of being a communist, and began violently attacking him. As there was no possibility of reasoning with this enraged mob, Brother Chaffin tried to escape by getting on a nearby bus. However, the bus crew joined in assaulting him. Some attackers threw stones, while other thugs cried “Dirty communist!” and “Throw him into the river!” Eventually, however, he evaded his pursuers by dodging into the high-walled enclosure of the priest’s residence.

Meanwhile, Brother Metcalfe scrambled to escape on his bicycle but was overtaken by the same mob. They punched and kicked him and scattered his literature on the street. Happily for Brother Metcalfe, a policeman happened to be passing. He intervened and dispersed the mob. “I felt it was Jehovah’s guidance,” said Brother Metcalfe, “that this man came on the scene just at that time and stopped the attack.”

When four special pioneers were sent to the town of Drogheda, they were threatened with guns and attacked by violent mobs.