Statue of St. Joseph destroyed and fingers were cut off

Case information
Incident date
Country
Poland
Place
Drawsko
Categories
  • Social Hostility / Intolerance
Attack Against
  • Faith
Perpetrator / Motive Indicators
  • Private
Hate Crime & Violent Incidents
  • Desecration
  • Vandalism (all)
  • Vandalism of Church
Religious Freedom / Discrimination
  • Censorship or Removal of Public Christian Symbols
Place of Incident
  • Church
Bias Indicators
  • Lack of Other Motive
  • Significance of Property/Structure/Location to religious community
  • Victim/Witness Perception
Reported to Police
  • Yes
Image credit: www.asta24.pl

On February 19, 2023, an unknown perpetrator destroyed the statue of St. Joseph located in the parish of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Piłka in the Czarnkowsko-Trzcianecki district of Drawsko. The perpetrator cut off two fingers from the figure, as reported by asta24 Poland. A resident named Ryszard Jablonowski expressed his feelings towards the situation: "I looked at the statue and, to be honest, I am shocked by what I saw. I'm trying to explain to myself what this is all about." The Priest thinks that the marks on the statue could have been done by using a knife, as well as by cutting off the fingers of the St. Joseph statue.