All cases
Church vandalised with fire extinguisher
February 22, 2024, DenmarkBetween February 17 and 20 Spjellerup Church in the Danish region Sjælland was severely vandalised. The police believe that a perpetrator had emptied two fire extinguishers in the church, targeting the organ and the altar.
Stones thrown at window of priest's office
February 21, 2024, ItalyOn February 21, a large stone was thrown into the parish office where the parish priest Don Stefano Sgueglia and two others were still working. A few days prior blasphemous writings and words had appeared on one of the entrances of the monastic house.
St. Johann parish church robbed and desecrated
February 20, 2024, AustriaUnknown perpetrators broke into the parish church of St. Johann in Tirol, Austria, and stole and damaged religious objects. The figure of Christ was broken off a wooden cross.
Vandalism at the Dreieichenhain castle church
February 20, 2024, GermanyUnknown people damaged the church on the Dreieichenhain castle grounds. According to the police's initial assessment, the historic side door was forced open with brute force. At the same time, the perpetrators broke a window to the right of the main entrance. This is not the first time there has been vanalism to the church.
Pauluskirche painted with "Allahu Akbar"
February 20, 2024, GermanyShortly after an anti-AfD (Alternative for Germany Party) demo took place on the forecourt, “Allahu Akbar” was daubed in Arabic script on the Protestant Pauluskirche in Hamm, Germany. In response to a news inquiry, the Hamm police confirmed the graffiti on February 20. However, no information can yet be provided about the perpetrator's profile. The investigation is ongoing.
Taxi Driver Fined for Displaying Bible Verse
February 20, 2024, GermanyA taxi driver from the German town of Essen was fined for displaying a small Bible verse sticker on the rear window of his car. The city authorities claim that the Bible verse constitutes "religious advertising", which is illegal on taxis which are regarded as part of the public transport.
Statue of the Virgin Mary Vandalized
February 20, 2024, SpainA statue of the Virgin del Carme in a local chapel of Reus has been vandalised. Vandals broke the statue’s hands, removed its crown, and left it on a balcony after forcing entry into the chapel.
Drunken man attacked the attendants of the Church of St. Sergius
February 19, 2024, RussiaA drunk man entered the church of St Sergius of Radonezh in Sertolovo and demanded money from the congregation to continue the "banquet". The women politely refused, which infuriated him. He then flew into a rage, almost ripping the door to the church off its hinges. Previously he had attacked the abbot with a knife.
Arson to St. Lambertus Church in Kalterherberg
February 18, 2024, GermanyUnknown perpetrators set fire to the parish church of St. Lambertus in Kalterherberg on Sunday. In the rear area of the interior of the church, prayer books, a shelf with parish letters and sheets from the Book of the Dead were set on fire in front of the wall with the memorial plaques. Opposite, at the Marian altar, the burning memorial lights were thrown down and artificial flowers were also lit.
St Stephen and All Martyrs entrance vandalised
February 18, 2024, United KingdomThe stone pinnacles from a church gate were stolen on the weekend of the church's 180th anniversary.
Vandalism to Major Cloister of St. Francis
February 17, 2024, ItalyDuring the night of February 17, the Major Cloister of St. Francis was smeared with spray cans in several places. The monastery has already been targeted several times by vandals.
Vandalism to St. Martinus Church
February 17, 2024, GermanyUnknown perpetrators spray painted the St. Martinus Church door with "666", "shame" and a swastika symbols in white paint. Police are currently investigating.
Vandalism at Gutenstetten Church
February 17, 2024, GermanyOn 17 February, an unknown person entered the local church of Gutenstetten and broke off the figure of Jesus from the cross, thereby damaging the corpus. Some of the church's furnishings were also altered. The church's baptismal font was changed but not damaged.
Attempted Break In leaves 2,000 euros of damage
February 16, 2024, GermanyA unknown perpetrator tried to break a window of the Catholic Mariä Himmelfahrt parish church to presumably get into the building. Awakened by the noise, the priest who lived in the house discovered the attempted break-in and spoke to the unknown person, whereupon he immediately fled on foot towards the train station.
"Religion of Lies" Sprayed on Loosdorf Church
February 15, 2024, AustriaUnknown perpetrators daubed the walls of the Loosdorf parish church with the words “Religion of Lies”. On another wall vandals had sprayed the words “Sol invictus”, meaning "undefeated sun god".
Four Crosses Defaced with Islamic Graffiti
February 15, 2024, FranceIn Dordogne, four large public crucifixes in separate towns were defaced with references to Islam sometime between December 24, 2023 and February 15, 2024. Two of the crosses were located on the side of the road in Saint-Pantaly-d'Excideuil, the two others in Cherveix-Cubas. One cross, built in the 1800s in a village of 146 people, had the word “Islam” and a crescent moon sprayed on it. Another inscription read “Allah”. Yet another cross was spray-painted with, “Today is the land of infidels, tomorrow the land of Islam.”
Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli dei Greci Defaced
February 14, 2024, ItalyThis property listed among the "places of the heart" of the FAI (Italian Environment Fund) is once again targeted by vandals. Writings were made with spray cans appeared on the entrance staircase, as well as meaningless and shameful phrases on the entrance wall and on the door.
Thieves stole baptismal font
February 14, 2024, NorwaySomeone has stolen a massive silver baptismal font and various silver cups from St Olav's Church in Modum Bad.
Stations of the cross vandalised
February 13, 2024, AustriaThe stations of the cross, that are usually installed in the forest between the old to the new cemetery of St Stephan's church in Amstetten, Austria, have been vandalised. Some of the wooden crosses were torn out of the ground and destroyed.
Vandalism at a Roadside Shrine in Włocławek
February 12, 2024, PolandThe roadside shrine in Włocławek has been vandalised for the third time within two weeks. A statue of Mary has been taken out of the shrine and destroyed. The broken pieces were left on the floor.