Arson Attack on Evangelical Street Preacher’s Trailer in Gütersloh
In the pre-dawn hours of June 20, 2025, unknown assailants set fire to a vehicle trailer belonging to street preacher Henning Heinrich Westrup in Gütersloh, North Rhine‑Westphalia. The trailer, emblazoned with the message “Jesus saves”, suffered extensive damage to its protective tarpaulin and exterior in what authorities are investigating as a deliberate act of arson.
Henning Heinrich Westrup, who is known for his public evangelism, expressed deep concern over the attack. He described it as "a further visible escalation of violence against the message of peace in the Holy Scriptures, Jesus Christ, and myself". He emphasised the significance of the tarpaulin, which bore the slogan “Jesus saves” and was completely destroyed in the fire.
Police in Gütersloh have launched an arson investigation and are appealing to the public for witnesses. This is not the first incident of this kind. In the past, unknown individuals have already cut up the tarpaulin covering the trailer and destroyed posters bearing Christian messages that Westrup had put up.
This incident is being treated as part of a disturbing rise in documented assaults on religious expression. The destruction of a tool used for peaceful evangelism represents not only damage to property, but also a rejection of the right to publicly share one's faith.
Source: Arbeitskreis Religionsfreiheit, IDEA
Image: IDEA.DE on X