Vandalism in a historic altar in the St. Andreas Church in Offenburg.

Case information
Incident date
Country
Germany
Place
Offenburg
Categories
  • Social Hostility / Intolerance
Attack Against
  • Faith
Perpetrator / Motive Indicators
  • Private
Hate Crime & Violent Incidents
  • Vandalism (all)
Place of Incident
  • Church
Bias Indicators
  • Lack of Other Motive
  • Significance of Property/Structure/Location to religious community
Reported to Police
  • Yes
Response of Local Authorities
  • Unknown

On 24 July, a 57-year-old man knocked over a historic altar in the Catholic St Andrew's Church on Fischmarkt. The damage is estimated at tens of thousands of euros. Investigators are still trying to establish the background to the crime.

The news says that the church had been vandalised on a massive scale. The high altar, placed in the centre of the wall, had been forcibly moved forward and knocked over. The damage caused is difficult to quantify as it is both a financial loss and damage to a religious object. However, the solid wood altar can probably never be restored to its original condition.

Sources