In 1954, Diệm was appointed prime minister by Bảo Đại. In the first year, Diệm's government was unstable as various groups including the Hòa Hảo and Cao Đài religious sects and the Bình Xuyên organised crime syndicated vied for power. After his attempt to take power failed, he fled to France. Diệm banned the Đại Việt and forced its leaders into exile or hiding. In a speech on 7 July 1963, the ninth anniversary of his appointment as Prime Minister of the State of Vietnam, Diệm made a speech assailing "fascist ideologues disguised as democrats [who] were surreptitiously seeking to revive and rekindle disunity at home while arousing public opinions against us abroad", widely interpreted as a reference to Hoan's Đại Việt. In November 1963, General Dương Văn Minh led a coup against Diệm, resulting in the assassination of the president. However, three months later, General Nguyễn Khánh deposed Minh in a bloodless coup.