German Evangelical Pastor Receives Death Threats

Case information
Incident date
Country
Germany
Place
Herne
Categories
  • Social Hostility / Intolerance
Attack Against
  • Morals
Perpetrator / Motive Indicators
  • Private
Hate Crime & Violent Incidents
  • Threats
  • Insult or Incitement
Place of Incident
  • Other (text field)
Bias Indicators
  • Comments/Written Statements/Gestures/Graffiti
Reported to Police
  • Yes
Response of Local Authorities
  • Investigated
Symbolic image; not a photograph of the reported incident.Image credit: Ruben Hutabarat on Unsplash

The police in Germany has communicated that a pastor from Herne, Melanie Jansen, who regularly organises peace prayers on Saturdays (parallel to Covid-19 protests), has received death threats. The State Protection Service is now investigating, as the persons from the two incidents until now were unknown. The Evangelical Church in Rhineland has condemned these threats and have expressed solidarity towards this colleague and "sister in Christ".

The Evangelical Church in the Rhineland released the following statement: "We stand in full solidarity behind our colleague and sister in Christ and at the side of all people who take a stand against hatred and violence."

Pastor Jansen organises peace prayers on Saturdays in front of the Kreuzkirche in Herne to commemorate the victims of the Covid-19 pandemic. Among other things, she received a note which read "You are dead!" with a revolver painted on it. Many people have shown solidarity with her.

Sources