Man charged with insulting religious group after church vandalism in Poland
As reported on July 16, a 37-year-old man has been charged with insulting a group of people on religious grounds in connection with a series of offences that included vandalising a church and a parish cemetery in north-eastern Poland. According to police, the church was defaced with vulgar anti-Christian graffiti, while nearby memorials were also targeted.
In June 2026, police received a report that offensive graffiti had been painted in red on the exterior wall of a church in Brańsk, including the word "cult". During the investigation, officers linked the incident to similar acts in nearby locations. At the parish cemetery in Łubin Kościelny, graffiti described by the police as referring to "hate speech" had been inscribed on various memorials and in Kadłubówka, a six-pointed star was painted on the wall of a commercial building.
Police identified and arrested a 37-year-old man and established that, in an unrelated incident at the beginning of July 2026, the suspect attacked three men with a shovel.
The suspect was charged with insulting a group of people on religious grounds in connection with the alleged offences, as well as property damage, desecration of a place of remembrance, causing bodily harm, illegal cultivation of cannabis and possession of narcotics. The targeting of a church and a parish cemetery have led investigators to formally charge the suspect with an offence involving religious insult.
If convicted, he faces a sentence of up to five years' imprisonment.
Sources: radio bialystok,kryminalki
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