Man Smashes Religious Artefacts in Glasgow
A man armed with tools entered St Alphonsus RC Church in Glasgow and smashed its gift shop, destroying religious artefacts and causing an estimated £1,500 in damage. A church spokesperson warned that this act of violence amounted to desecration and was more severe than previous incidents.
Police investigated an incident at St Alphonsus RC Church in the east end of Glasgow in which a man entered the building during the afternoon and caused extensive damage to its foyer gift shop. CCTV footage showed the individual arriving with tools, attempting to remove a fixed collection box, and then breaking the glass windows and shelves of the shop. The items destroyed included religious statues, prayer books, rosary beads and candles. The church estimated the total damage at around £1,500.
A church spokesperson, who routinely opened and closed the building, described the act as “devastating” and stated: “He desecrated the church. It’s not just vandalism. It’s desecration of a house of God.” He added that the man “was very willing to violently kick in the windows and destroy religious artefacts with no thought that this is a house of God.” The spokesperson noted that while theft attempts had occurred before, this incident was the most severe.
Source: The Scotsman
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