All cases
Man Arrested for Fires at Methodist Church and Sikh Temple
August 29, 2018, United KingdomA 49-year-old man was charged on suspicion of arson in connection with two fires that were set in Edinburgh in the early hours of the 28th of August 2018. One fire was set with a petrol bomb at 5am at the Sikh temple Guru Nanak Gurdwara in Sheriff Brae, which is situated in the building of a former church, and the other was set at 7am at the Methodist Church in Junction Place. No one was injured, but the temple suffered smoke damage. The man is due to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Thursday, 30th of August 2018.
Church Saint Giuseppe Timpuni defaced by spray cans
August 29, 2018, ItalyThe rupestrian church of Saint Giuseppe Timpuni in Modica was defaced in the night by unknown people using spraycans. They thereby caused damage to an ancient building that can hardly be repaired.
Stones Thrown at Lutheran Church
August 29, 2018, GermanyWitnesses called the police at about 9pm on August 29, 2018 to report six teenagers throwing stones against the facade and windows of the building of the St. Simeon Lutheran church in Kreuzberg, Berlin. The group fled the scene crying "Allahu akbar!" According to the police the building was damaged. It is not the first time this church has been subjected to such acts. Furthermore, a window was broken the following Sunday. The chuch is a so-called "Refugee Church" as it has opened its doors to refugees and runs multiple projects to assist them. The police opened an investigation, assigning the department dedicated to politically motivated crimes.
Man Sentenced to Prison for Terrorist Threats against Reims Cathedral
August 28, 2018, FranceOn the night of the 21st of July 2018 after the light show "Rêve de Couleurs," on the facade of the cathedral, a drunk individual shouted "Allahu Akbar! Long live Daech! I will butcher you!" at all the people he met in front of the cathedral. He further threatened: "I'm going to attack! I'm going to blow up the cathedral!" A passerby who tried to interfere was slapped. The perpetrator has been identified as 19-year-old Tony Brébant from Reims who recently converted to Islam. He was sentenced to fourteen months in prison on the 28th of August 2018.
Image of Madonna Defaced
August 26, 2018, ItalyThere was an act of vandalism in the small church of Madonna Addolorata di Lopi in the municipality of Castiglione del Lago on August 28th, 2018. The face of the Madonna in a seventeenth-century painting was smeared with black paint. In addition to that, the same paint was used to spray the small squares of the Via Crucis and blasphemous words were written on the walls of the church. The damage done to the painting of the Madonna cannot be repaired. The police were informed about the incident.
Offensive Graffiti on Information Panel of Church
August 26, 2018, ItalyVandals wrote offensive slurs on the information panel on the facade of the church of Grottaglie.
Belgian Minister of Culture calls for Ban on Religious Broadcasting after Bible Reading
August 26, 2018, BelgiumVerses from Paul's letter to the Ephesians were broadcast on radio and Flemish TV station VRT from a Catholic Mass in the town of Grimbergen. A lay reader quoted Ephesians 5 22-33: "Women, be submissive to your husband as the husband to the Lord. For the man is the head of the woman as Christ is the head of the church." This sparked a row over whether religious broadcasting should be stopped and caused the Belgian Minister of Culture, Sven Gatz to tweet "No outdated, woman-unfriendly statements ... please. What if, for example, an imam would have said this?" He told the newspaper Het Nieuwsbald " The fact that they come from an old book is not an argument for letting them go to our people. This is not of this time, and that it is broadcast on the VRT for the whole of Flanders is already completely crazy."
Mayor Offers Reward to Catch Church Vandals
August 25, 2018, ItalyAfter tourists used black and red spray paint to deface the white wall of the 14th century church Madonna del Soccorso on the island of Ischia, the town's mayor offered a reward to 500 euros for anyone who provides useful information to find those responsible for the vandalism. This incident caused sadness and indignation among the people who live in the village.
Police Investigate Vandalism of Brussels Church
August 25, 2018, BelgiumThe walls of Saint-Antoine de Padoue Church in the district of Forest in Brussels was sprayed with obscene graffiti during the summer holidays between mid-July and mid-August 2018. The house opposite was also vandalized. As of late August, the graffiti remained on the buildings, as the municipality was required to wait for authorization from the police before it could proceed with clean-up.
Córdoba Parish Vandalized with Anarchist Graffiti
August 25, 2018, SpainThe phrase "De tumba en tumba y tiro por que toca. Fachas" was discovered written exterior wall of the Iglesia de la Trinidad, along with an anarchist 'A' symbol.