All cases
Man attacks and insults priest in Wrocław
May 28, 2023, PolandOn 28 May 2023, a man of about 30 years of age physically attacked and insulted a priest in Wroclaw. The attack took place in the morning as the priest was returning to the vicarage from the convent of the Albertine Sisters, located near the parish church of St Maurice in Wroclaw.
Church walls smeared during "Equality March"
May 27, 2023, PolandOn May 27, 2023, participants of a local "Equality March" taking place in Gdańsk spray-painted inscriptions on the facade of the historic St. Elizabeth Church in Gdańsk.
Free speech and rule of law under threat in Ireland’s new "hate offences" bill
May 26, 2023, IrelandOn April 26, the lower house of the Irish Parliament passed what could be the most extreme hate speech law in Europe, with critics saying that it is in fact a 'thought crime' bill. The text of the bill makes the possession of material considered 'hateful' against certain groups a crime punishable with jail, and the burden of proof is shifted to the accused, who is expected to prove they didn't intend to use the material to "spread hate".
Attempted Theft and Assaults on three Christians
May 26, 2023, SpainOn 26 May 2023, a man was arrested after attempting to steal a chalice, and assaulting three parishioners in the Church of San James Apostle, in the city of Orihuela.
Graveyard and Church Defaced in Blackfairs Walk
May 25, 2023, United KingdomVandals targeted the Auld Kirk of Ayr in Blackfriars Walk on the evening of May 25. Grave stones were painted, rude imagery was drawn over stained glass windows and profanity was written on an iron gate. Historic stonework, as well as a welcome sign featuring a picture of King Charles III was vandalized with red spray paint. The incident is being investigated by Ayr Police.
Church Painting Damaged through vandalism
May 25, 2023, GermanyAn oil painting inside the St Gerhard's Church in Heiligenstadt was damaged by unknown perpetrators. According to the Nordhausen police, the crime took place on the 25th of May. The vandals poured the liquid wax of a burning candle from the offering box onto the painting.
Four churches targeted by vandals and thieves and one cemetery vandalised
May 24, 2023, FranceIn May 2023, four churches and a cemetery were targeted by vandals and thieves in France.
Update: Landmark Case Bans Christian Teacher for Misgendering a Transgender Pupil
May 23, 2023, United KingdomOn May 23rd, a ruling by the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) in the UK banned Christian Joshua Sutcliffe from teaching altogether, after he failed to treat his pupils "with dignity and respect" by misgendering a transgender boy. This case is the first of its kind in the UK and has become international news. It goes back to 2017, when the former maths teacher at the Cherwell School in Oxford, said "well done girls" to a group of girls, where one was a transgender boy - and he later apologized. Sutcliffe was later also accused of inappropriately sharing his Christian beliefs.
Vandals locked out Priest and Vandalize his Church
May 23, 2023, PolandIn Malnia, near Gogolin on May 23rd, unknown perpetrators blocked the door to the rectory to prevent the parish priest from intervening and destroyed a statue of Mary, a statue of St. Anthony, and damaged the interior of the church. The losses made by the perpetrators were estimated at several thousand zlotys.
Vandalism and Physical Violence in Wolgast Church
May 22, 2023, GermanyOn May 22, a heavily intoxicated couple caused vandalism and violence in the St. Peter's Church in Wolgast. They couple forcibly cleared the book table and injured a visitor.
Santiago Cathedral Defaced with Graffiti
May 20, 2023, SpainThe Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela is an internationally renowned place of pilgrimage. On May 20, a graffiti displaying a penis was smeared on the cathedral’s west façade, which then got covered with a tarpaulin for cleaning purposes.
British Man Admits Plotting to Murder Street Evangelist Hatun Tash
May 19, 2023, United KingdomA 21-year-old British man, Edward Little, has pleaded guilty to preparing to commit acts of terrorism in an attack against the evangelist Hatun Tash in 2022. Little was found carrying £5,000, with which he planned to buy a firearm to kill Hatun Tash at the Speaker's Corner, a place for public debates where she frequently debates and preaches. He refused the allegations at first, but on the May 19, 2023 he admitted to planning the murder back on September 23, 2022.
Vandals Pour Red Paint Inside the Walls of a French Church
May 19, 2023, FranceOn May 19, between 3:00 and 7:00 p.m., unknown perpetrators entered the church Notre-Dame des Grâces in Revel without being detected. Once inside, they poured red paint on the walls. A depiction of Christ on the cross, a pyrographed painting of the Virgin and Child, candles and the altar were also vandalized with paint. On a wall, the word "proteste" (unclear form in French) was also written in red. The mayor considers closing the church outside worship hours due to this incident. The same happening had already taken place on May 1st, with the same acts and the word "protest" written on a wall with red paint. Back in 2018, the church in Revel had been attacked with arson.
Citizen arrested in Madrid for praying in front of an abortion clinic
May 17, 2023, SpainOn May 17, a citizen who was silently praying in front of the Dator abortion clinic in Madrid was arrested by the Spanish national police. The arrest comes as a result of the entry into force of the reform of the Spanish Criminal Code last year, which punishes praying in front of abortion clinics as it considers it 'harassment to women.'
An Exhibition in Memory of John Paul II Vandalized in Gdansk
May 17, 2023, PolandIn the Polish city of Gdansk, a Solidarity exhibition dedicated to St John Paul II before the Solidarity building in Gdansk, was vandalized on May 17. The CCTV footage shows five people destroying the exhibition boards with the Holy Father John Paul II. The crime was reported to the police.
Evangelical Church seized in Occupied Ukraine
May 16, 2023, UkraineOn Tuesday the 16th of April, Russian forces seized the Ukrainian Christian Evangelical Church of the Holy Trinity in Mariupol. According to a US NGO, it is "part of a wider systematic religious persecution campaign in occupied Ukraine." More generally: many Ukrainian pastors said they had been arrested and tortured by Russian soldiers, with one saying that the troops were directed to "kill all the Christian pastors who are not part of the Russian Orthodox Church."
St Cordula Church Closed due to Repetitive Vandalism
May 16, 2023, BelgiumThe Church of St Cordula in Schoten has announced that the doors will be kept closed, due to several cases of vandalism. The place of worship used to be open during the day. In the last vandalism case, candle wax was poured on the floor and smeared on chairs and carpets. A burnt smell shows that paper might also have been burnt.
Vandalism at Haarala cemetery
May 16, 2023, FinlandAt the end of April, the Puskaradio Facebook group reported that vandalism had been committed at Haarala Cemetery. One post revealed that a hatch of a candle holder had been ripped off one of the gravestones, and similar acts had been committed on other graves.
Bavarian Police Identify Growing Trend of Anti-Christian Hate Crime
May 15, 2023, GermanyChurches in Bavaria are targeted by vandals with increased frequency. The Bavarian State Criminal Police Office (LKA) registered 294 cases of damage to property in churches, chapels, or monasteries last year - 23 more than in 2021 (271). According to the information, the trend has been increasing in recent years. In 2019, the LKA still counted 219 cases, and the following year it was 242. According to a spokesman of the Catholic diocese of Regensburg there are: "For example, figures of saints were destroyed or damaged, people smoked and urinated in church rooms, church walls were smeared or fires were set inside the church."
Vandals Destroy a Shrine and Smash Statues
May 14, 2023, PolandOn the night of May 13 to 14, the chapel in the Grotto of the White Mountains in Łaskarzew was vandalised. The statues of the Mary, Saint Bernadette and the image of Merciful Jesus were destroyed in the act.
Teacher dismissed for 'hate speech' after being encouraged to share his Christian beliefs
May 12, 2023, United KingdomA teacher in Wales, Ben Dybowski, was encouraged to express his Christian beliefs at a seminar and was subsequently fired for "hate speech", according to the Daily Mail. The school claims that there is no evidence that his assignment was ended on the basis of his religious beliefs. The teacher said that he was prompted to share his opinions during a mandatory training session organised by the charity Diverse Cymru to instruct teachers on "workforce diversity practice, unconscious bias and gender awareness." He later commented that: "We were told it was a safe space and encouraged to speak freely."
Organ Pipes Stolen From Sussex Church
May 12, 2023, United KingdomOrgan pipes were stolen and the organ of the St John The Divine Church in Patching, England, was damaged on the night of the May 12 to 13, 2023. The theft is expected to cost thousands of pounds to repair or replace.
Russian Individuals Raid the cathedral of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Crimea
May 11, 2023, UkraineOn May 11th, the Ukrainian newspaper Korrespondent.net reported: "The invaders are removing the property of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, but such actions are not explained in any way and no one was warned about the "raid". Russian occupants are looting and destroying the cathedral of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (PCU) in temporarily occupied Simferopol. The invaders broke down the doors of the temple, destroy and steal the property of the Ukrainian church." One of the leaders of this "raid" is Novikov Evgeny Nikolaevich - "the Moscow bailiff who manages the seizure of the PCU temple in Crimea". The Russian individuals did not explain their actions and no one warned the representatives of the religious community and church officials about the "raid".”
Death threats and Assaults at Bible stall in Vienna
May 9, 2023, AustriaChristian missionary Lahzy Mahfonz Hefzalla Girgis has regularly installed a Christian book table in different districts of Vienna, where he distributes bibles to those interested. He reported receiving death threats and being physically assaulted because of his message that “Jesus is God”. On May 5, 2023, his bookstall was surrounded and attacked by a mob and bibles were stolen.
Arson Attack to a Spanish Church in Vitoria
May 9, 2023, SpainSome people have tried to cause a fire in the church of Santa María de los Ángeles. This criminal act occurred on Tuesday, May 9 around 4:00 pm in Vitoria, while the church was closed. Perpetrators sprayed gasoline at the main entrance of the church. The fire burned a billboard and the church entrance, which they left darkened and dirty. The criminals fled, but thanks to the images from the church's security cameras, the police were able to identify them.
Man Arrested After He desecrated and vandalized an Austrian Church
May 8, 2023, AustriaOn the 9th of May, the Police of Salzburg have arrested a man who hurled a bottle of red wine he had brought with full force against the high altar on Monday morning in the parish church of Schwarzach im Pongau. Thus, two altar lights were knocked over and the offering table and brickwork were contaminated by the wine. The man had entered the church loudly ranting and gesticulating aggressively and spat at a statue of Christ. The man - a Czech citizen who is banned from staying in Austria - was filmed in the church by two video cameras.
Perpetrator Tags Church with Graffiti, Among other Vandalic acts
May 5, 2023, FranceOn May 5, 2013, graffiti was found on the Church of Lieusaint, in a suburb of Paris. The graffiti, which said: 'Vive l'Islam et la paix" (Long live Islam and Peace) was written in French and a Star of David was drawn. According to a local Muslim association, the scripture, full of mistakes, is unlikely to come from a Muslim. The Mayor strongly condemns this "proof of human stupidity". Last year, statues inside the church had been destroyed.
Priest in Pionki assaulted
May 5, 2023, PolandOn 5 May 2023, at around 1pm, an unknown man attacked 80-year-old priest Fr. Leon Czerwiński, former parish priest of the Blessed Virgin Mary Queen of Poland in Pionki near Radom.
Public prayer gathering attacked
May 5, 2023, PolandOn May 5, 2023, at around 5pm, the participants in a public rosary prayer organised by a pro-life foundation in Elbląg, were attacked. During the meeting, a masked and very aggressive man approached the people praying.
Azerbaijan has demanded the expulsion of the Armenian clergy from the Dadivank monastery in disputed Nagorno-Karabakh
May 4, 2023, ArmeniaIn the context of the current blockade by Azerbaijan on the Republic of Artsakh, the ethnic Armenian breakaway state in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, the Armenian Christians are suffering increasing threats and fear for their future. In one of the latest threats against the Christians living in the region, Azerbaijan has demanded the expulsion of the Armenian clergy from the Dadivank monastery, built in the 9th century and one of the symbols of medieval Armenia.
European Parliament: Outrage over exhibition showing explicitly sexualized Jesus surrounded by apostles
May 4, 2023, European Institutions (EU, ECHR, et.al.)An exhibition in the European Parliament showing Jesus surrounded by men dressed in leather as sadomasochistic slaves, apparently homosexuals, has provoked complaints from several MEPs and Christians in Europe. The author, lesbian Swedish photographer Elisabeth Ohlson, argues the photographs depict Christ supporting homosexual rights.
Street wall Displays insults and Hateful Messages Against Christians
May 2, 2023, GermanyA German man who was doing a bicycle tour around the Tollensee Sea in Germany, near Neubrandenburg, came across a wall displaying several hateful or disrespectful messages and insults almost entirely against Christians or Catholic Christians. He posted a picture of the display on his facebook page and informed the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians. Some of the posters on the wall say "F**k off Vatican", "Good that theologians are disappearing on their own", "Catholics are sh*t", among other things.
Arson in Steinfeld Church: Cloth Set Alight, Bible Damaged
May 2, 2023, GermanyOn May 2, 2023 between 14:00-18:00, a cloth on a stand of Saint Leodegar Church in Steinfeld, Germany, was set on fire, burning the cloth to crisp and damaging the Bible on the stand in the church.
The church of Affringues targeted by degradation
May 1, 2023, FranceDesecration was noted at the Saint-Léger church in Affringues, just reopened to the public a month ago after seven years of closure. Mass books were torn and candles crushed.
UPDATE: Christian Mayoral Candidate Wins Legal Case After Being Fired For alleged "Hate Speech"
April 30, 2023, United KingdomIn 2022, Maureen Martin, who was campaigning to become a mayor in London was sacked by her housing association employer for stating publicly that she believed in marriage between men and women. She was accused of gross misconduct for leading a "discriminatory" campaign. In April 2023, she won substantial damages following a legal challenge against her dismissal by the London & Quadrant Housing Trust (L&Q). She was supported by the NGO Christian Concern.
Public Figure of Jesus vandalised
April 30, 2023, FranceA public figure of Jesus on a cross was severely vandalised in Villalbe, France.
Vandalism on Corsica: Scout Camp Chapel and Cross Destroyed
April 29, 2023, FranceAn open-air chapel and cross situated on an eight-hectare plot of land in Vero, Corsica, was found completely knocked down and ransacked on April 29 by Father Louis El Rahi. The site was bequeathed to the church by a local resident a few years ago and was relaunched as a scouting site by Father Louis, who celebrated Palm Sunday mass there a few weeks before the incident. This is one of the four acts of anti-Christian vandalism that have occurred in Corsica in recent months. Earlier in April, a statuette of the Virgin Mary in Petit Capo was vandalised and a cross on the Saint Jean pass was decapitated. In May, another statue of the Virgin Mary was found decapitated in Ajaccio.
Cross Vandalised
April 29, 2023, PolandOn 29 April 2023, an 18-year-old man destroyed a cross on the grounds of the Roman Catholic parish of St Jadwiga in Chorzów. The perpetrator threw the granite cross from its pedestal and poured red liquid on the figure of Jesus Crucified.
Church in Schwaz sprayed with satanic graffiti
April 28, 2023, AustriaOn April 28 between 12:00 and 5:30 PM, the "Maria Himmelfahrt" parish church in Schwaz was vandalized. An inverted pentagram and the number "666" was sprayed in blue paint on the stone floor and on a confessional. The graffiti on the 500-year-old floor was in front of the altar. The perpetrators have been caught by the police.
Systematic Church Thefts: Thief caught
April 28, 2023, IrelandIn Ireland, a man was charged for a series of thefts including in several churches between 2020 and 2024. This example points to the growing problem of systematic church thefts and shows that the biggest harm for the religious communities is often not the thefts themselves, but the damage caused through break-ins. Another detrimental effect of these thefts is that parishes which cannot afford constant surveillence increasingly decide to keep their doors locked, which can be a great loss for believers who are thus prevented from frequenting local places of worship.
Cross Vandalized on Sisco, Corsica
April 27, 2023, FranceA cross on the Saint Jean pass in Sisco, Corsica, was found vandalized at the end of April. The nearly two-metre-high cross was placed on the pass more than twenty years ago by the inhabitants of Sisco.
A severe setback for Religious Freedom in Russia: The Russian Federation's Ministry of Justice will permanently close the Sova Center
April 27, 2023, RussiaOn April 27, the Moscow City Court ruled the liquidation of the Sova Information and Analytical Center, the leading organization monitoring religious liberty violations in the country. This represents a significant blow to the protection of freedom of religion in Russia.
Squatters desecrate church and threaten to damage
April 25, 2023, SpainA group of squatters identifying themselves as artists desecrated the San Roque Church in the town of Farrera. Additionally, they allegedly threatened to cause damage to the church and attempted to coerce people. Subsequently, the Bishopric of Urgel has closed the church.
Priest in Dobczyce beaten up
April 25, 2023, PolandOn 25 April 2023, a 32-year-old man physically attacked a parish priest in Dobczyce.
Jesus figure torn from cross and smashed
April 25, 2023, PolandOn the night of 25 April 2023, unknown perpetrators vandalised a roadside cross in the area of the parish of St Michael the Archangel in Ropa. They tore the figure of Jesus from the cross and then smashed it into small pieces that were scattered on the pavement.
Priest attacked outside a church
April 24, 2023, FranceAfter the Sunday mass on April 24 in Saint-Emilien church, Nantes, a young girl physically attacked an elderly priest of the SSPX fraternity shouting ‘no to the Freemasons’.
(UPDATE?) Man on Trial for Slapping Priest
April 24, 2023, BelgiumIn mid-April 2022, a man was tried in Namur for burning the Belgian flag and slapping a priest during the Te Deum on 14 November 2022. On 24 April 2023, the Criminal Court of Walloon Brabant examined two cases against a resident of Rebecq.
Man sets bible on fire and damages cross
April 23, 2023, GermanyAs reported on April 23, a man caused extensive damage of 20.000€ to a church in Stockach (Constance district) in April 2023. He damaged a statue, books and stole plates.
Chapel set on fire in Dinant
April 23, 2023, BelgiumOn Sunday night, 23 April, the fire brigade and the police were called to a fire that completely destroyed the chapel dedicated to Saint Joseph in Dinant. Arson is suspected.
Three acts of Vandalism to Churches in a Belgian Village
April 22, 2023, BelgiumIn April 2023, two acts of vandalism were committed in the church of Saint-Rémy de Profondeville (province of Namur): On 22 April, two large statues of Saint Joseph and Saint Anthony were thrown off their pedestals and smashed to the ground. A vase on a side altar was also smashed. A few days earlier, a small statue of the Virgin Mary had been torn from its pedestal and carried away.