The Stadtkirche St. Georg in Neustadt was the target of vandalism during the night of the 24th of November. The Christmas tree and the loudspeaker system and cable covers on the wall were heavily damaged from having been kicked. In addition, the church was soiled with spilled red wine and cigarette butts. A week before, intruders caused damage in the church, as well. Although an an automatic locking system was installed, due to the vandalism, the church council decided to keep the church locked during the day.
"The fact that the church is open during the day was a long-cherished wish of the city," says Neustadt's Third Mayor Martin Stingl (SPD).
"We agreed with the parish council that we wanted to be friendly and inviting, so the church should always be open during the day," says Pastor Bettina-Maria Minth. She was deeply disappointed that this openness was interpreted by strangers as an invitation to riot in the Church.
Fabian Gehrlicher from the church council"We have decided to keep the church closed for the time being," he confirms. We will have to discuss how to proceed in the future.