Repeated Vandalism of Virgin and Child Statue in Noirmoutier-en-l'Île

Case information
Incident date
Country
France
Place
Noirmoutier-en-l'Île
Categories
  • Social Hostility / Intolerance
Attack Against
  • Faith
Perpetrator / Motive Indicators
  • Private
Hate Crime & Violent Incidents
  • Vandalism (all)
  • Vandalism of Public Christian Symbol
Place of Incident
  • Public Christian Symbol (outside place of worship)
Bias Indicators
  • Comments/Written Statements/Gestures/Graffiti
  • Pattern or Frequency of Attacks
Reported to Police
  • Yes
Response of Local Authorities
  • Investigated

Unknown perpetrators vandalized the statue of the Virgin Mary and Jesus during the night of July 27th for the third time -- this time, decapitating the head of the Christ child. In 2018, vandals beheaded both figures on the statue; and in mid-July, (see link below) the pedestal of the statue was vandalized with graffiti.

The pieces of the statue were collected by the gendarmarie and secured as evidence.

François Lamy, who had restored the statue, lamented "that a surveillance camera has not already been installed to prevent these repeated criminal acts." Read our report about the July 14th incident here.

Source: Ouest France, L'Observatoire, Le Salon Beige (photo)

Sources