Vandalism at St. Athanasius Monastery Church

Case information
Incident date
Country
North Macedonia
Place
Tetovo
Categories
  • Social Hostility / Intolerance
Attack Against
  • Faith
Perpetrator / Motive Indicators
  • Private
Hate Crime & Violent Incidents
  • Vandalism (all)
  • Vandalism of Church
Place of Incident
  • Church
Bias Indicators
  • Pattern or Frequency of Attacks
  • Racial/Ethnic/Gender/Cultural Differences
  • Significance of Property/Structure/Location to religious community
  • Victim/Witness Perception
Reported to Police
  • Yes
Response of Local Authorities
  • Unknown
Image credit: slobodenpecat.mk

The church of St. Athanasius monastery in Tetovo has been broken in, all the windows were broken and serious material damage was done.

The Tetovo-Gostivar Diocese also reported this incident happened less than ten days after the previous report of an intrusion into the monastery and "desecration of the church with decorations from the flag of another country".

The United Macedonian Diaspora (UMD) condemned the vandalism in a statement, saying "This malicious act not only violates the sanctity of a religious institution, but also undermines the principles of multiculturalism and religious tolerance that are essential for a cohesive society," and called upon authorities for better protection: "We call on the authorities to quickly investigate this incident and bring the perpetrators to justice. Furthermore, it appeals for strengthened measures to protect religious buildings and to support the basic rights of all individuals to practice their faith without fear of persecution or discrimination".

Sources