Some time in the night of January 6 - 7, at least 30 graves in the cemetery of Brennilis were vandalized, with crosses and crucifixes overturned or broken and headstones toppled. Police are investigating.
Unknown perpetrators intentionally set fire to the straw at the base of the nativity scene in the Cathedral of Saint-Étienne, burning all of the figures. The Archbishop expressed the pain of the community, saying that the display expresses the heart of the Christian faith.
On January 5, 2017, the exterior of the parish of Santa María de Nazaret in Madrid, Spain, was vandalized with graffiti and an figure of Christ was damaged by unknown perpetrators.
The perpetrator, a Gambian with a valid residence permit, broke the glass case containing a statue of the Virgin Mary in the courtyard of the Church of the Madonna del Rosario and then burned the Christmas crèche, completely destroying it. He admitted the act to the police, saying that he was Muslim and wanted to destroy the Christian symbols.
A safe containing 50,000 euros was stolen from the Orval Abbey, a Cistercien-Trappist Monastery famous for a brewery whose profits go to fund social projects. Police are investigating.
Illegal fireworks are the likely cause of damage to the recently restored roof of the Reformed Church in Poeldijk. Witnesses saw two men on the roof setting fireworks, which are illegal. Officials have not determined if the damage was intentional, but the perpetrators have not come forward and police are investigating.
On New Year's Eve, unknown perpetrators vandalized a chapel, damaging a statue of the Virgin Mary and burned prayer books and wooden objects nearby. Damages are estimated at around 1,000 euros. Police are investigating.
Unknown perpetrators beheaded a statue of St. Barbara and stole a Christ figure from a cross and several other sacred objects. Damage is estimated at around 5,000 euros. Police are investigating.
Unknown perpetrators broke into the chapel, threw stones at the altar, smashed two glass domes containing statues of the Virgin Mary, and stole and destroyed 22 paintings and murals hung by pilgrims visiting the chapel.
A 22-year-old man from Afghanistan stabbed a Christian woman when he heard her reading from the Bible at a refugee accommodation in Vöcklamarkt (Upper Austria).