Statue of Virgin Mary and Child Decapitated in Noirmoutier
Case information
Incident date
Country
France
Place
Noirmoutier
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
Place of Incident
Public Christian Symbol (outside place of worship)
Bias Indicators
Comments/Written Statements/Gestures/Graffiti
Significance of Property/Structure/Location to religious community
Victim/Witness Perception
Reported to Police
Yes
Response of Local Authorities
Investigated
During the night of the 18th to 19th of August, the 3.5 meter public statue of the Virgin Mary and Child was decapitated. Residents were shocked and searched the nearby forest for the missing heads but found nothing. Parishioners were dismayed, as the statue has stood in the community since 1949. The priest, who called the incident violent and shocking, filed a complaint with the police.
