All cases

Complaint Discussed for 2016 Cemetery Desecration

April 13, 2017, France

In the summer of 2016, a video circulated on the internet showing a model posing on the graves in a cemetery in Tarn-et-Garonne, France. The local residents discovered this video and filed a complaint with the county council. In January 2017, another video with the same model, the same poses, and the same location was found online and the local residents filed another complaint to the county council. This county council discussed in April 2017 whether to lodge a formal complaint in order to bring the matter before an investigating judge.

Easter Procession Disrupted by Threatening Teenagers

April 13, 2017, France

On the evening of April 12th, a religious procession in Toulon was interrupted by three teenagers who threatened the priests and nuns in the procession. One of the teenagers threw his backpack at them and all of them shouted “Allah Akbar”, “Long live Daesh” and “You will all blow up” (“Allah Akbar”, “Vive Daech” and “Vous allez tous sauter”). Once police were called the perpetrators fled the scene.

Cemetery Vandalized and Tombs Destroyed

April 13, 2017, Belgium

In Ougrée, Belgium more than 50 graves were vandalized, several dozen tombs were destroyed and the crosses on the graves were thrown on the ground. The families of the deceased are upset that such vandalism occurred. This is the second time this month that the cemetery has been attacked.

Swedish Labour Court Rules Against Pro-Life Midwife

April 12, 2017, Sweden

The Swedish Labour Court upheld the judgments of the Discrimination Ombudsman and Tribunal Court in the case of Christian midwife, Ellinor Grimmark, who has been denied jobs at several clinics due to her refusal to carry out abortions and her outspoken stance on the matter.

Pro-Life Philosophy Professor Investigated then Fired from Catholic University

April 11, 2017, Belgium

Philosophy professor Stéphane Mercier was fired by the Catholic University of Leuven after a student filed a complaint about an essay Mercier wrote in which he argued that abortion is the murder of an innocent life.

Teacher Prohibited from Wearing Cross Necklace

April 11, 2017, Germany

School officials ordered a Protestant Christian teacher in Berlin to remove her cross necklace when she is in the classroom. Berlin's neutrality law prohibits teachers and civil servants from wearing religious symbols and clothing in public.

Vandalism on Painting of Jesus in Church

April 10, 2017, Poland

A 31-year-old male emptied a bottle of black spray paint on a painting of Jesus in a Church in Pila, Poland. Police arrested the man.

Cemetery in Nice Vandalized on Palm Sunday

April 9, 2017, France

Fourteen graves were damaged in the Cimiez cemetery, which borders a Franciscan monastery on a hill in Nice, in the afternoon of Palm Sunday, April 9, 2017. Crosses were broken, funerary books and decorative items were knocked over and broken. The municipality said, “It is with indignation that we condemn these unacceptable acts that call for a firm criminal response. There is no place for these hateful acts. That is why we asked the funeral administration to file a complaint.” According to the city, the individual responsible for these acts may be identified from the CCTV recordings.

Women Attacked after Mass in Brussels

April 9, 2017, Belgium

Two Polish women were on their way to the bus station to return home after having attended Mass at the church of Notre Dame de la Chapelle on Palm Sunday. As they walked through what was described in media reports as an “the Arab quarter” on their way to the Midi station, they were attacked by a man who cursed at them both in Arabic and French calling them “dirty Christians” and “whores” (“sales chrétiennes” and “putes“). Because the women were carrying palms from the Mass, the man was able to identify them as Christians. One of the women was knocked down and then kicked. She did not sustain any major injuries, but was in pain. The police were called but the attacker fled before they could arrive. The Polish Christian community responded by hiring security for the doors before and after Mass.

Good Friday Procession Cancelled due to Complaint by Secularist Group

April 8, 2017, Spain

The Andalusian Education Inspection cancelled the Good Friday procession for school children in Dos Hermanas due to time pressure for parents and complaint by a secularist group, Sevilla Laica. The parents of the affected children gathered signatures to reverse the decision as the procession is a voluntary activity and their children “were very excited” (“estaban muy ilusionados”).