
Police opened a criminal investigation after unknown perpetrators etched a Nazi symbol into the wall of a church in Lower Saxony.

A desecration of the Church of the Angel in Camaiore involved blood traces on the altar, misuse of sacred objects, and prompted both police investigation and a call for reparation by the Archdiocese of Lucca.

A holy water font at St. Fidelis Catholic Church in Burladingen was deliberately filled with urine in an act of targeted desecration shocking parishioners and clergy. The parish priest called the act "a slap in the face of a believer."

German authorities have detained five men in Bavaria accused of planning a radical Islamist–motivated vehicle attack on a Christmas market. Investigators say the plot was disrupted at an early stage through coordinated action by security services.

A UK primary school teacher was suspended in March 2024 and later dismissed after telling a Muslim student that “Britain is still a Christian state,” citing the King as head of the Church of England and describing Islam as a minority religion. The teacher, who had also allegedly suggested the student could attend a nearby Islamic school if they preferred a religious setting, faced both police and safeguarding investigations. Although he was initially banned from working with children, he successfully appealed the decision and is now pursuing legal action against.

A criminal court in Vitoria, Basque Country, has acquitted 21 pro‑life volunteers accused of harassment for praying peacefully outside an abortion clinic, ruling that they had “done nothing more than exercise their free right of assembly” and behaved in an “exquisitely peaceful manner.” The court found no evidence of intimidating conduct under the penal code’s anti‑harassment provision.

In Florence, black spray-painted graffiti stating “The only church that enlightens is the one that burns” and featuring the anarchist circled “A” appeared on the construction coverings of the Carmine Basilica.

Authorities in Bologna investigated a fire at the Santuario in via del Borgo San Pietro, where flames engulfed the hedges surrounding the Catholic Church’s garden, prompting suspicions of arson.

Police detained a man after he disrupted a Catholic service by removing nativity figures, striking the altar, profaning liturgical garments, shouting in Arabic through the church microphone, and attempting to attack parishioners before being restrained outside.

An arson attack destroyed the parish priest’s vehicle in Francofonte, following earlier vandalism against the church grounds.

Radical activists smashed windows and spray-painted “218 abtreiben” on the Free Evangelical Church Kassel-Ost, citing its support for unborn life as the motive.

Acts of vandalism targeted Christmas decorations at Villar de Olalla, damaging religious symbols and prompting a municipal appeal for information.

Two altar cloths were set on fire inside Saint-Jean-Baptiste Church in Fonsorbes, Occitania, with straw from the Christmas nativity scene reportedly moved to fuel the flames.

The Chapel at Termini Station in Rome was closed after a man was reported to have urinated on the altar. The closure is deprived the community of access.

Anti-Israel demonstrators scaled the towers of Vienna's Votive Church and placed Palestinian flags on the spire. The Archdiocese condemned the incident, hired a crew to remove the flags, and announced that they may take legal action.

The St. Salvatoris Parish in Geesthacht (Schleswig-Holstein) had to cancel the annual Christmas market after receiving a threatening letter. Police are investigating the threats.

The launch of Brussels’ Winter Wonders Christmas market was interrupted when demonstrators set off smoke bombs, waved Palestinian flags, and unsettled families.

Authorities investigated a deliberate fire at a Laindon church previously subjected to repeated racist vandalism.

The Anglican and Methodist Church of St Giles was twice targeted by arson when rubbish was set on fire at its entrances—causing damage to the church door and prompting police appeals for information.

Authorities detained a 55-year-old man in Parabiago after he entered a parish church and toppled statues on the altar.