Religious Statues Stoned by Vandals

Case information
Incident date
Country
Italy
Place
Magnago
Categories
  • Social Hostility / Intolerance
Attack Against
  • Faith
Perpetrator / Motive Indicators
  • Private
Hate Crime & Violent Incidents
  • Vandalism (all)
  • Vandalism of Public Christian Symbol
Religious Freedom / Discrimination
  • Censorship or Removal of Public Christian Symbols
  • Other (text field)
Place of Incident
  • Church
  • Public Christian Symbol (outside place of worship)
Bias Indicators
  • Comments/Written Statements/Gestures/Graffiti
  • Pattern or Frequency of Attacks
  • Significance of Property/Structure/Location to religious community
  • Victim/Witness Perception
Reported to Police
  • Unknown
Response of Local Authorities
  • Unknown

Around March 15th, unknown perpetrators stoned the statues of the Virgin Mary and Pope John Paul II placed next to the entrance of the church San Martino in Magnago.

The parish priest Don Marco said:

"This regrettable fact makes me reflect and invites me to make three simple advises. The first one is addressed to all the bored kids who have nothing better to do than stoning statues: instead of wasting your time do something good. Second advice is addressed to the parents of the children and young people. It is not easy to educate a child, it is not easy to help them grow up and understand what matters in life. However, your example and your consistency are essential. Be a model for them of correctness and respect for the rules. Even in these difficult days! A third point I would like to make to everyone. Let us all feel responsible and co-responsible for the common good. Let us respect the rules and enforce them. If we see someone doing something wrong, let us not turn our heads and say, "It's not my thing anyway! Let's grow up in this civic sense! The health emergency we are experiencing helps us to grow and to feel part of the same community."

Sources