Feminist Group Paints over Fresco of Jesus in Church in Geneva

Case information
Incident date
Country
Switzerland
Place
Geneva
Categories
  • Social Hostility / Intolerance
Attack Against
  • Faith
Perpetrator / Motive Indicators
  • Radical Left
Hate Crime & Violent Incidents
  • Vandalism (all)
  • Vandalism of Public Christian Symbol
Religious Freedom / Discrimination
  • Censorship or Removal of Public Christian Symbols
Place of Incident
  • Church
Bias Indicators
  • Comments/Written Statements/Gestures/Graffiti
  • Significance of Property/Structure/Location to religious community
  • Victim/Witness Perception
Reported to Police
  • Unknown
Response of Local Authorities
  • Unknown
Image credit: 20Min

A group of women desecrated a fresco of Jesus and the apostles on June 14 at the Plainpalais Church in Geneva. The group, called "The Red Tents", gained access to the chapel of the Plainpalais Church. They used pink and purple paint to add women, draw breasts on a saint, and paint male genitals on the fresco. They also painted symbols of Venus and Mars on Christ's dress.

The fresco dates back to the 1950s and depicts Jesus holding the bread and wine in front of the twelve apostles. The Protestant Church of Geneva (EPG) asked that the fresco be covered with a sheet "out of respect for the work and the artist." It is unsure if the fresco will be restored and what the damage costs.

Sources