All cases

Woman Destroyed the Cruz del Arquillo of the City of Seville

September 10, 2019, Spain

The City Hall Cross in the Plaza de San Francisco in Seville, was partially destroyed by a woman who broke the horizontal portions of the cross and fled. The city government denounced the act.

Marseille Crucifix Vandalized Again

September 9, 2019, France

For the fourth time since May 2019, the crucifix monument on the grounds of the Saint-Patrice church in hte Croix-Rouge district of Marseille was vandalized on September 9th. As in previous incidents, the Christ figure was defaced with paint. In this instance the vandals used red paint to cover parts of the head and body.

Smashed Window of Protestant Church

September 5, 2019, Germany

A cobblestone was used to smash a stained-glass window of the Protestant Church of Kusel in Luitpoldstraße on August 5th between 3 and 4 pm. The damage amounts to 1250 euros. The police are investigating and searching for witnesses.

Church Desecrated with Satanic Tags in Giroussens

September 3, 2019, France

A secluded church in Giroussens was discovered vandalized with blue graffiti including an inverted cross on the front of the altar. Other images found in Notre-Dame-de-Sept-Fages included goat with horns, an inverted pentagram, and the message behind the altar: "Here an army is born." The mayor expressed anger and filed a police complaint

Christian Youth Center Vandalized

September 2, 2019, Italy

On Sunday morning, the plants were found married and the closets open in the church of St. Fatima. In the kitchen of the Youth Center, food and dishes were thrown on the ground and the pantries were looted and the whole place was left dirty. The police are running an investigation.

Religious Statues Damaged in Marseille

August 30, 2019, France

A Marseille resident reported to l'Observatoire de la Christianophobie that religious statues in various districts of the city had been damaged over several months. Incidents included: the hands severed from a statue of the Virgin Mary, the crown broken from another statue of the Virgin Mary, and the arms broken off a statue of the infant Jesus.

Arson Causes 100,000 Euros in Damage at Wildeshausen Church

August 30, 2019, Germany

Unknown perpetrators attempted to set fire to parts of the St.-Peter Kirche in Wildeshausen on August 30th at around 3 p.m. They lit hymn books on the stairs to the organ loft with sacrificial candles, but they did not catch fire. The perpetrators then apparently lit a hymn book and the seat cushion of a row of benches with matches and the candle flame. The cushion burned over the entire length of four meters but fortunately, the wooden benches did not catch fire. Damage from the smoke generated by the burning cushion caused extensive damage to the interior of the church and organ.

Church Equipped With Security Cameras Following Desecration

August 28, 2019, Italy

On the 28th August, the Mayor Massimo Paolini announced the installation of surveillance cameras in the Church of Our Lady of the Arc to control security and prevent vandalism, which has been targeting the church in the past months, including trashing and graffiti with satanic motives.

Finnish Politician Investigated for Hate Crime for Sharing Bible Verse

August 27, 2019, Finland

The Helsinki Police Department announced it had opened pre-trial investigations into Päivi Räsänen, a Christian Democrat MP, for her criticism of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland's (ELCF) participation in the Helsinki LGBT Pride events in June. She posted a photograph of Romans 1:24-26 from the New Testament on Facebook and wrote "How does the foundation of the church’s teachings, the Bible, fit with elevating sin and shame as reasons for pride?"

Police Investigate Church Arson in Saint-Amand-sur-Sèvre

August 24, 2019, France

Criminal investigators were brought on the scene after a suspicious fire began in the wooden library of the Saint-Amand church in Saint-Amand-sur-Sèvre on August 24th. The fire was brought under control by the gendarmes of the community of brigades (COB) of Cerizay-Mauléon dispatched to the site. Sixteen firefighters were also present as well as a team from Gérédis who cut off the electrical power to the building.