All cases
Push to Eliminate the Christian Element of the Saint Martin Tradition in Nordrhein-Westfalen and Hessen
November 5, 2013, GermanyThe Chairman of the Left-wing party in the Nordrhein-Westfalen region, Rüdiger Sagel, suggested to rename the celebration and remove the religious overtones in the local day-care centres. “In many Nordrhein-Westfalen day-care centres there are an increasing number of children from different religions.” ... „”the day-care should be an interdenominational space,” says Sagel, and claims that the day-cares are influencing the children regarding their religion. After a storm of protests, the Left-wing party withdrew the suggestion.
Church Covered in Graffiti in Brescia
November 4, 2013, ItalyDuring a night raid the walls of the Church of Santa Maria Calchera in Brescia were covered with inscriptions in red paint. The whole length of the façade was covered.
Vandalism and Desecration at Church of Carmine in Ascoli
October 28, 2013, ItalyVandals entered the Church of the Carmine in Ascoli using scaffolding positioned for restructuring. They removed some crucifixes, holy objects and candles. The walls and furniture were also covered in paint and at the end they tried to celebrate a black mass.
Graffiti on Church of Casorate Sempione
October 26, 2013, ItalyThe outside walls of the church and churchyard were spray painted with white paint and with a number of sentences. One of these read: "most priests dead" (“più preti morti”). About a month before this happened, a symbol of "A" for anarchy was painted on the walls of the Caritas centre, and there have been acts of vandalism in the same church in the past.
Christian Parents Convicted for Home-schooling, Appeal Rejected
October 24, 2013, GermanyOn May 22nd the district court sentenced the parents of nine to pay a fine of 700 Euro each for their violation of the compulsory school attendance for all children in Germany. The public prosecution department demanded six months in prison for the married couple due to their repeated offense. An appeal was rejected in October.
Andalusia Discriminates against Teachers of Religion
October 22, 2013, SpainIn Andalusia, the Board of Education prohibits teachers of religion to watch students at recess. This is expressly due to the subject matter that they teach and not for economic reasons. The Centre for Religious Liberty and Conscience (OLRC), has asked the Ministry of Education to apologize for this discrimination and to allow teachers of religion to “practice their profession on equal footing with other teachers.”
Posters in Tarragona Mock Christians in Reaction to the Beatification of 522 Twentieth Century Christian Martyrs
October 17, 2013, SpainPosters on the streets of Tarragona depicted a lion chasing a priest with the inscription, “An ancient tradition. Blessed be the lions.” This in response to the beatification (the bestowing of the title of “Blessed” by the Catholic Church) of 522 Christian martyrs who were killed in the Twentieth century.
Profanities Shouted at a Parish Commemoration Presided Over by the Archbishop
October 16, 2013, SpainDuring a commemoration by the Archbishop of the fiftieth anniversary of a parish in Madrid, 20 people gathered outside and shouted profanities. Two people were arrested after they got past the police barrier. They were released the next day.
Vandalism in Church in Galazzano, San Marino
October 15, 2013, San MarinoVandals broke a crucifix in a church in Galazzano in San Marino. The church had never experienced vandalism before.
Statue of Our Lady Destroyed in Bordeaux
October 13, 2013, FranceIn the night to October 13, a statue of our lady was destroyed in Bordeaux. The statue had been attached about three meters high on a corner of an apartment building at Rue Neuve. The head of the statue could not be found which indicates a hate motivated act.
St. Eulalia, Patroness of Madrid, Secularized
October 10, 2013, SpainAn initiative driven by Ignasi Ventura Diaz hopes to reinstate the cross symbol on images of St. Eulalia, patroness of Madrid. Currently, public images of the saint contain a young girl on an eagle instead of the traditional cross upon which the saint was crucified at the age of thirteen. Groups such as e-Christians wish for the City Council to acknowledge the Christian roots of St. Eulalia, currently called “La Laia”, a nickname which also hides the Christian roots of the city’s patroness.
Discrimination Against Religion Teachers on the Canary Islands
October 10, 2013, SpainReligion teachers on the Canary Islands are discriminated against, as they are not allowed to participate in extra activities, such as becoming a cycling coordinator or head teacher. This matter has been brought to court and is still pending. In the meantime, centers may choose according to their individual needs whether or not religion teachers may occupy such positions, but there is still discrimination occurring in some schools since such a decision is arbitrary and depends on the judgment of the inspectors.
Bomb Planted in Catholic Church in Zaragoza
October 3, 2013, SpainA bomb was set inside the Catholic “Basílica del Pilar” in Zaragoza. It exploded close to the organ and benches. The church and the market square in front of the basilica had to be cleared by the police. Local sources suspect an extreme left-wing group behind the bomb attack. These claims are supported by the fact that the words “This is our offering“ and a veiled figure holding a bomb were spray painted on a wall nearby the basilica. This bomb was the first attack on the basilica of Zaragoza since the Spanish Civil War.
Violent Language Used by Feminists and Other Left-Wing Organisations
September 27, 2013, SpainDuring a pro-choice rally, the coordinator of “Valladolid Women”, a feminist organization, shouted violence inciting words such as “We must burn the Episcopal Conference” outside of a lecture hall in which the Spanish Christian Lawyers Association AEAC was giving a lecture on the persecution of Christians. The Christian Lawyers Association has filed a complaint under the heading of incitement to hatred and violence.
Christian Cemetery Vandalised in Villecien, Yonne
September 26, 2013, FranceIn Villecien an old Christian cemetery was vandalised in the afternoon of September 26th. 61 graves were vandalised and inscriptions and religious statues were destroyed or removed.
Two Statues Destroyed at a Church in Haan
September 25, 2013, GermanyDuring a fair in Haan (North Rhine-Westphalia), unknown perpetrators tore the cross with the figure of Jesus off the church of St. Chrysanthus and Daria, beheaded the figure and took the head away. The perpetrators also tore an arm off the figure of a bishop and threw the arm into the garden of the kindergarten next door. In the last ten years, the figure of Jesus has been destroyed three times.
Statue Vandalised in Church in Sassari
September 25, 2013, ItalyThe historic statue of Our Lady of Hope (1934) in Sassari was taken down from its stand and broken into pieces.
Church and Bust of Pope Benedict XVI Spray Painted
September 22, 2013, GermanySt. Oswald church - the church in which Pope Benedict XVI celebrated his first mass - was spray painted with large letters. Local sources suspect radical left wing forces behind the incident. A bust of the former Pope in front of the main entrance was spray painted twice. In the first case the delinquent was identified, the second case remains unclear.
Dublin Church Bells Silenced After 130 Years
September 21, 2013, IrelandDue to complaints, the clock and bells at the Church of St. Bartholomew, Dublin, Ireland are temporarily out of service. The church is required to find a solution to stop the bells from ringing at night, or they will have to be switched off permanently.
Fire Damage in Church in Reggio Emilia
September 21, 2013, ItalyThe shrine of Our Lady in the church of St. Augustine in Reggio Emilia was set on fire. Fortunately the statue was unharmed but everything around it was destroyed.