All cases
Man Arrested For Burglary And Degradation Of A Church
September 3, 2020, FranceOn September 3rd in Villeurbanne, the police arrested a 30-year-old homeless man with 62 criminal records who was suspected of committing burglary and degradation of a Christian Church. He was identified through the surveillance cameras and was lately recognized by a witness. He also admitted committing the crimes because of anger towards the religious beliefs.
Man Arrested for Threats and Breaking into Church in Villeurbanne
September 3, 2020, FranceOn September 3, a homeless man, who had 62 previous convictions, was arrested for burglary in the church building of a protestant community called Transfiguration Église Chrétienne in Villeurbanne. A few days earlier the perpetrator had already appeared the church and threatened people because of their religion. The threats concerned the very church he then broke into. He will be charged with burglary.
Vandals Desecrated Church in Xanthi
September 2, 2020, GreeceThe Chapel of St. Alexander was desecrated by unknown vandals in Xanthi, Greece, in the first week of September. The vandals scratched the faces of the Saints and Icons. The exact time of vandalism is unknown.
Series of Thefts in Churches and Diocesan Office
September 2, 2020, FranceIt is not the first time that the Grignan church has witnessed a theft or degradations of the crib. Two years ago, the trunk, contained between 200 and 300 euro, has been stolen. The church in Châtellerault has been target of thefts for years. On March 4, a 53-old man was filmed breaking the lock on the trunk with a pair of wire cutters and stole the contents of the offerings of the faithful from the church of Saint-Marie d'Ozon. On 2nd September, two men robbed a diocesan office in Vieux Lyon. On 30 August, the church of Plounéour-Ménez in Finistère was a victim of an attempted theft. A statue of Saint Thomas was pulled by a robe from the car of three unknown perpetuators.
Vandalism and Insults on Catholic School
September 2, 2020, FranceOn the night of the 2nd of September, the catholic School Saint-Louis/Saint-Bruno was vandalized with a Nazi Symbol of a Swastika on the wall. There was also the inscription "School of crime". Another swastika was also found on the wall of the elementary school in the same area. The inscriptions were erased before the students arrived and the police came to investigate crime.
Attempt to Burn Down the Church and a Man was Beaten Up
September 1, 2020, SwedenOn 28th August at night, there was a riot in Ronneby that caused a devastation in the city. Naem Sufan was beaten in the middle of the riot as he tried to prevent angry protesters from going to the Holy Cross church. The protesters tried to burn the church, but Naem Sufan extinguished the fire with his jacket. He had injuries in his shoulder and neck. Afterwards the rioters went to the city center and threw stones at the police. Riots started after a Koran burning in Malmö. This happened on the same night as a vehicle used for charitable purposes was burned.
Vandalism and Burglary in Arzheim Church
September 1, 2020, GermanyOn the night of Sunday 30th August to Monday, unknown perpetrators broke into the protestant Church St. Aldegundis in Koblenz-Arzheim through the second floor. The basement window was smashed and food and wine from the church were consumed in the cellar.
Congress Center in Winterthur Refused Hosting March for Life Event Fearing Radical Left Violence
September 1, 2020, SwitzerlandThe congress center "gate27" in Winterthur withdrew the right to hospitality from the Swiss pro-life association "Marsch fürs Läbe", which had planned to host a substitute event for the March of Life on September 19th. An estimated 400 to 1,000 unauthorized counter-protestors were expected to attempt to block the event, causing the police to give out serious warnings about the danger of violent left-wing extremist attacks. The organizers of Marsch fürs Läbe regret the restriction of freedom of speech and assembly caused by left-wing extremist threats and filed a complaint.
Break In in Church in Aschaffenburg, Germany
September 1, 2020, GermanyDuring the time between the 1st September and the 7th October, unknown perpetrators broke-in in a Church in Aschaffenburg. They damaged the church. The police is still looking for witnesses and clues.
Sacrilegious Vandals Damaged in Monteu da Po Church
August 31, 2020, ItalyOn the night from 30th to 31st August, the churchyard of the parish church of Monteu da Po was vandalized. Vandals left pizza boxes, leftovers of food, paper cups in the churchyard, and beer bottles with broken glass in front of the access to the sacred building. The priest Piero Massaglia expressed his desolation and great annoyance since this is not the first time this happens.
Man Attacked Priest During Mass and Torn the Pages of the Bible
August 30, 2020, GermanyOn the 30th August, during a Sunday Mass in St. Joseph's Church in Berlin, a man attacked a priest and desecrated the church. The witnesses recalled that the man was sitting quietly, until he stood up and spat on the ground. He then walked towards the sanctuary of the church while murmuring anti-religious statements and punched the 61-year-old priest, who was knocked to the ground. The attacker took the Bible afterwards and torn several pages from it. While the brother of the priest tried to aid the victim, he was also knocked down with the Bible. The attacker fled unrecognized and the crime is being investigated by the police.
Attempted Burglary in Church
August 30, 2020, GermanyBetween Friday night and Saturday morning, unknown persons tried to break into a Catholic Church. They unlocked a glass panel with a cobblestone. The burglars realized afterwards that they would not be able to enter the church any further this way and got away.
Wayside Cross destroyed in Colmar
August 30, 2020, FranceDuring the night of 30 to 31 August, the wayside cross in rue du Logelbach in the city of Colmar was destroyed. Prior to the attack, plans had already been made to restore the cross and set it up in the presbytery park. The priest of Saint-Joseph parish, François Martz, filed a complaint online.
Statue of Armenian Priest Smeared by Turkish Genocide Deniers in Paris
August 30, 2020, FranceCCAF (Council for Coordination of Armenian Organizations in France) reported on their Facebook page on August 30th, that a statue of the Armenian priest Komitas Vardapet, symbol of the Armenian Genocide, had been smeared with graffiti. The nature of the incident hints at a motive coming from Turkish genocide deniers. The message read "c'est faux", which can be translated as "This is not true". CCAF expressed their concerns regarding this attack on the dignity of the descendants of the victims of the Armenian genocide.
Old Wooden Cross Vandalised in Mount of Calvary
August 30, 2020, ItalyOn an unknown time before the end of August, unknown vandals removed the arms of the wooden cross, which was placed on Monte della Croce in Carpineti. Another unidentified pilgrim, replaced the damage with a wooden rod and tied it with iron wire. A formal recovery of the Cross was celebrated as part of the San Vitale Fair.
Statue of Saint Thomas Targeted For Attempted Robbery
August 30, 2020, FranceOn the 30th pf August, a statue of Saint-Thomas, which was on the porch of the church in Plounéour-Ménez in Finistère, was targeted by robbers or vandals. Three individuals inside a car pulled a rope around the statue to get into into their vehicle, witnesses saw them and scared the perpetrators away. The robbers fled the scene leaving the statue toppled over and damaged.
15 Pieces of Art Stolen from Basilique Saint-Mathurin in Larchant
August 29, 2020, France14 paintings and a statue of Christ on the cross were stolen from Basilique Saint-Mathurin in Larchant. While the financial loss was estimated at 25.000 to 30.000 euros, the community also mourned the loss of heritage. The theft could have taken place between August 20 and 29. La Chapelle-de-la-Reine brigade initiated an investigation, supported by the research department of Fointainebleau police.
Anti-Christian Graffiti on Tour de France Course
August 29, 2020, FranceSpectators of the Tour de France race, which started on August 29th in Nice, discovered large anti-Christian messages painted on the road of Col de Glières pass, which was part of the race course. The images consisted of a cross inserted into a large prohibition sign and a slogan saying "Bad religion", accompanied by the painting of a red devil on turquoise background and a message saying "Pleased to meet you."
Cemetery and Village Hall Vandalized in Saint-Urbain
August 29, 2020, FranceDuring the night from August 29th to 30th, the cemetery and the village hall in Saint-Urbain (département de Finistère) were vandalized. Several crosses on private tombstones were broken, ornamental shells were taken off a monument dedicated to war victims in the community, and windows of the village hall Ti-Kreisker were smashed. Plougastel police began an investigation.
Sacred Objects for Worship Stolen from Five Churches in Jura Region
August 28, 2020, FranceA series of thefts occured in the French region of Jura during the period of August 16th to 28th: A monstrance and a chalice were stolen from both the church in Nevy-sur-Seille and Monteney. In Saint-Etienne Church in Rans, three golden chalices, a small golden ciborium and a silver cup, listed as part of the heritage of sacred arts, were stolen. In addition, a chalice, a ciborium and a paten were missing in Rochefort-sur-Nenon and the collection box in Baume-les-Messieurs was plundered. The police in Dole began investigations and suspected that most of the cases were linked.