Cross on Church Poster Defaced into Swastika
Unknown perpetrators altered a Christian cross on a poster outside a church in Nettlingen, turning it into a swastika. The poster carried a message rejecting Nazi symbolism. Church representatives condemned the vandalism, and the church council filed a criminal complaint.
Between 22 and 25 October 2026, unknown perpetrators defaced a poster displayed outside a church in Nettlingen. They altered the cross beside the slogan “Unser Kreuz hat keine Haken” (“Our cross has no Swastika”), turning the Christian symbol into a swastika.
Superintendent Franziska Albrecht condemned the act, describing the deliberate reversal of the poster’s message as frightening and unacceptable.
“We stand for respectful, peaceful and democratic coexistence,” she said, rejecting far-right and anti-constitutional symbols.
Albrecht stated that the vandalism strengthened the community’s determination to uphold its values. The church council of the Hildesheimer Land-Alfeld church district filed a criminal complaint against unknown perpetrators, according to the report published on 28 October 2026.
Source: Hildesheimer Presse, Tagesschau.de
Symbolic Image: Martin Meissner/AP