On 24th February, a fire broke out in the Sainte-Croix church and burnt around 20 square meters. Stained glass windows were also blown out. There were damage to the side entrance and the chapel. The parish suspected arson since neither electricity was installed nor the stored candles were used.
In February, The facade of the parish church in Baeza was targeted with graffiti that said "priest, you and your bells are worse than the Covid". The priest, Juan Quiles, was surprised by the inscriptions and explained how the bells had always rung without complaints and said "they only ring when necessary." The police of Baeza was notified of the incident and commented, "I think this is something more than an (act of) hooliganism."
After criticising the Irish government's plans to legalise euthanasia, Twitter has banned the Irish bishop Kevin Doran on February 20th. In his tweet, he spoke out about the Christian dignity in dying, paradoxically Twitter argues "he violated their rules by promoting (..) suicide or self-harm" because the tweet mentioned the term "Assisted Suicide" in it, which he opposes. According to writer David Quinn, Twitter has turned the bishop down on appeal.
During the night of February 19th, unknown perpetrators sprayed red paint on the doors and walls of the historic St Augustine's Church in Wola, Warsaw. After the police started an investigation in which they also released a video showing the suspect, the police arrested two men in connection with the case.
In March 2019, Christian West End actress, Seyi Omooba, was removed from a leading role in a musical and dropped from her agency for a Facebook post about homosexuality citing the Bible over four years earlier. With representation by the Christian Legal Centre, she launched a legal challenge on September 30th against Leicester Curve Theatre and her agency, Global Artists, for breach of contract and anti-Christian discrimination.On November 25th, the judge rejected arguments from Seyi Omoobas lawyers that the theatre critic, Lloyd Evans should be allowed to give evidence in her claim. The trail of Omooba's religious discrimination and breach of contract claim is scheduled to run for 11 days next February. After the last ruling of the court she was offered a compensation which she reclined arguing that it was disproportional. In its latest decision the court ruled against the actress.
In February, Facebook permanently deleted the page of Core Issues Trust (CIT) on the grounds that the charity is in breach of its community standards. Since June 2020, LGBT activists have viciously attacked the site and refused to recognise people who previously identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. During this time, Facebook did not respond to the attacks against CIT and its employees, even though their personal safety was at risk. Now Dr. Mike Davidson, CEO of CIT, wrote a statement on the case in which he makes clear to continue to platform "the voices of those who with free conscience express the transformation they experience and the Christian convictions that are important to them and protected by Article 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights".
Frontman of the extreme metal band 'Behemoth' Nergal is accused of having offended religious sentiment in Poland. He posted a picture in 2019 on his Facebook account where he is stepping on a picture of the Virgin Mary. The case came to court after the conservative groups 'Ordo Iuris' and 'The Patriotic Society' claimed that some people including a Polish politician felt offended by the published photo. In a first hearing earlier this year an unnamed religious expert testified that "treading with a shoe on the image of the Mother of God is an offence against religious feelings". Adam Darski, Nergals formal name, has been found guilty and has to pay a fine of €2.900 plus an additionally €678 as court costs. "The Satanist of Warsaw" as he is named on YouTube, is challenging the guilty verdict and the fine. The case is now expected to proceed to a full trial. According to article 196 of Poland's penal code, Darski is now facing a prison sentence of up to two years, if found guilty in the trial.
During the night of February 17th, unknown perpetrators destroyed the statue of the Virgin Mary in the parish of the first Martyrs of Poland, Czestochowa. The statue which represents the Virgin Mary had its hands cut off and the surrounding area vandalised, flowers and candles were scattered. According to the parish priest, Father Jasionek, the incident was not reported to the police: "I did not report it to the police because I think it is not a material loss but a moral loss and the police will not help us in this matter."
On February 17th, three unknown young men tried so set fire to the Madonna delle Grazie church in Piedimonte Matese. The young men were supposedly noticed by a resident who immediately alerted the police. However, the vandals managed to escape. The case is being investigated by the police.
On February 16th unknown perpetrators attacked a catholic church in Sligo with red graffiti. The incident occurred after politician Tánaiste Leo Varadkar appeared on the Irish RTE programme "Prime Time" in which he claimed that dead babies were buried in a tank in Tuam. Varadkar referred to the mother and child home in Tuam that was run by the church and were it was recently discovered that mothers and babies have been severely abused and even a mass grave for babies were found. Sligo is about a 50-minute drive from Tuam. According to the Irish government, there is no evidence that babies are buried in a tank in Tuam. So far it is not known whether the two cases are related.
On February 17th, the police invaded the New Life Full Gospel Church in the Belarusian capital Minsk. The operation was recorded on video by members of the parish, and there is also footage from the security cameras. Pastor Vyacheslav Goncharenko had not allowed the police and court officials to enter, so the police broke the locks forcefully. The city administration of Minsk, after the church's territory was annexed by the city of Minsk, had already issued an eviction order for 31th December, which the parish apparently did not comply with. The leaders of the Full Gospel Union, the Union of Baptists and the Pentecostal Association of Churches in Belarus defended the New Life Church in a joint statement on the 19th of February.
A barrage of shots was heard near the Church of San Fiorano in Villasanta on the 17. February at around 6 pm. The metal pellets were aimed at the door of the parish house. It seems that inside the house people were celebrating the rite of Ashes, but they did not hear the shots. The police have started an investigation. The metal pellets were found on the ground near the entrance door.
On the 2nd of February, the police in Poznan was called to a case of vandalism. The front doors to the Church of the Resurrection in the Wilda district was spray painted with anarchic symbols and threats. An unknown perpetrator wrote the vulgar slogan "Kler to hell" in white paint on the church door. The police is investigating.
On 16th February, three vaults were desecrated, and two coffins were opened in Dordogne . It has been argued that the main perpetrator is the Satanists group since this act is part of their rites of passage or entry requirement to the group. The families have filed a complaint with the gendarmerie. The public prosecutor opened an investigation for ‘’ violation of the grave and damage.’’ Georges Elizabeth, the mayor of the commune, believes that the perpetrators should be severely punished.
The Spanish trade union CCOO, mocked the Andalusian Catholics by having a procession with a crucified doll to demand that an Employment Regulation File (ERE) not be made at the Holcim company. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, the Catholics were not able to do their procession during the Holy Week. To gain attention, the CCOO was willing to disrespect the Holy Week and a religious tradition.
During night of February 14th, unknown perpetrators wreaked devastation on the parish cemetry complex of St. Barbara's Church in Warsaw. Ten inverted crosses were painted on the church doors, pillars and memorial plaques on the church walls. Among other things, memorial plaques of Warsaw insurgents and former parish priests were vandalised. The police is investigating.
Vandals desecrated a Church in Rožnik with the picture of the Minister of defence Matej Tonin. The incident was reported to local authorities on 13 February 2021. Tonin describes the incident as a hate crime against Christians. The police are still investigating.
For being pro-life, almost one of four students have been "threatened, abused, alarmed or distressed" at their university. According to a survey by the national student pro-life group, the Alliance of Pro-Life Students (APS), nearly three quarters of pro-life students have been confronted with situations in seminars where they experienced a restriction in freedom of expression. APS Executive Director Madeline Page said: “These statistics are alarming, yet confirm what we already know – pro-life students are being marginalised and silenced at universities. Institutional policies which refuse to allow certain topics to be discussed don’t just damage free speech – they destroy a culture of tolerance and respect on campus, ruining the chance for all students to engage with people of diverse opinions and understandings."
In late January and early February, more than 10 residents of Rybna, Poland complained about the vandalization of crosses and grave monuments of their relatives. Several people found gravestones with broken and stolen crosses and figures of Christ that were torn off crosses and thrown away nearby. People started intervening and reported the matter to the municipality. It was later discovered that the damage was not reported to the police, because according to the municipality, they did not have a report on the matter.
In the beginning of February, police officers from Zgorzelec arrested a 26-year-old man suspected of destroying windows and a stained glass window in one of the churches in the district. The man had been drinking near the church and later started to throw stones and empty bottles at the church.
On the night of February 10th, unknown perpetrators attacked the St. Joseph church on Karmeliterplatz in Vienna with paint and plaster. The doors of the church were splashed with white paint and the staircase below splashed with liquid plaster. This was not the first attack of this kind against the church, as the church has repeatedly been the victim of vandalism since November 2020.
On February 10, between 5 pm and 6 pm, thieves stole the tabernacle cross from the high altar of St. Gudula's Church in Rhede. The case was reported to the police, which started searching for information regarding the theft.
People witnessed a fire at Fulda Cathedral and alerted the police, on the 10th of February. The authorities started to conduct an investigation searching for a suspect. Fortunately, no one was injured but there is no information about the amount of damage caused by the fire.
On February 8th, radical feminist groups disrupted a solidarity rally, in front of the Polish embassy in Vienna, of the Platform for Christian Democracy. The Platform demands an end to the discrimination against people with disabilities and therefore wanted to demonstrate its support for the new amendment of the Polish abortion law, which denies abortion on the ground of eugenics. After interrupting the march, the perpetrators smeared the Platforms' office walls with radical feminists and insulting slogans, reading "fundamentalists abort them". The Platform filed a complaint at the police who is investigating.
Between 6-7 February, unknown perpetrators broke into St Peter's Church in Wentworth, St Michael and All Angels Church in Chettisham, St Mary's Church in Ely and St Andrew's Church in Witchford, smashing stained glass windows and breaking vases. Michael Ritcher, churchwarden of Chettisham Parish, said, "They broke two windows to get in - one in the vestry and another in the main church. They've done quite a bit of damage." The police is investigating.
On February 6th, vandals demolished the car of a priest of St James the Great Church in Crookston, Glasgow. In addition to a completely smashed windscreen the car's wing mirrors were also severely damaged. According to a post in the church's Facebook group 2-3 youths have been seen vandalising the car. The police is investigating.
On February 5th, unknown perpetrators destroyed the panels of the exhibition "John Paul II - Pope of Dialogue", prepared by the John Paul II Memorial Centre in Warsaw in cooperation with the Polish Embassy at the Basilica of St John the Baptist in Berlin. John Paul II's face was painted over with red paint. A red lightning bolt - the symbol of the so-called women's strike - was painted on the fence of the neighbouring headquarters of the papal nunciature. The police is investigating.
In 2019, the local authority of Pforzheim, Germany, prohibited the assemblies of the "40 Days for Life" group that was peacefully and silently praying in front of an abortion advisory center. The group's concern is to pray for women struggling with abortion and for their unborn children and to offer them support. The legal human rights organization ADF International is now challenging the prohibition in court, in order to ensure that the group's fundamental rights to freedom of religion, assembly, and speech will be reinstalled.
On February 2nd vandals smeared the walls of the church in Oborniki. The graffiti contained slogans like "Blood on my hands" and accusations against the priest of the parish Father Rydzyk. The local police is investigating and trying to identify the perpetrator(s) by analyzing the surveillance recordings.
The first arson attack was on February 2nd, as unknown persons tried start a fire in the gallery of the church in Bischofsreut using paper. This was discovered 3 days later, on February 5th, when unknown perpetrators attacked a second time, this time setting fire to the same place. This resulted in a damage of around 100 Euros. According to the police, between 2.15 and 3.15 p.m., the arsonist(s) were in the church and set fire to a sheet on the floor and several pieces of paper they had found in the building. Before any major damage was done, the perpetrators put out the fire with disinfectant.
On February 2nd, unknown persons set fire to the pedestal of the statue of San Vincenzo next to the San Vincenzo Church. San Vincenzo is the patron saint of the San Vincenzo Church in Cremnago. Some of the parish members saw the flames and other witnesses say they saw some boys running away from the church at the time of the crime. The damage to the statue, which was immediately taken to the sacristy, is fortunately not severe. After the incident the church decided to close its doors for a couple of days and only reopen during liturgical celebrations.
Vandals graffitied the facade of the Christian conservative institution Zavod Iskreni in Slovenia on the night of 2 February. The perpetrators broke the windows and smeared the entrance door of the institute with swastikas and wrote the word "corruption" on it. Minister of Defence Matej Tonin condemns this vandalism as a "systematic attack on Christian values". The police are investigating.
In February, the parish office behind the church of St. Mary was devastated in Bochum-Langendreer. The Catholic community has been target from vandals repeatedly during 2021.
On February 1st, unknown perpetrators damaged a church window in Schweinheim. Several thousands of Euros of damage are expected. Police is investigating.
On January 31st, a break-in at the St Thomas's Church in Dudley in the Black Country has left the church unable to play music at funerals. There were no historical items taken from the church, but a computer tablet was stolen that implied that the church would no be able to amplify voices or play recorded music at funerals. The police is investigating.
January 31st , a church in the Derry County was vandalised and the police started an investigation. Sectarian slogans and initials of loyalist paramilitary organisations were written on the walls of St Mary's Church in Limavady. According to details provided by the police they were looking for a man during the week of February 7th, when they finally arrested him on that date.
On January 31st, the St Mary's Church in Limavady was target of a hate crime. Vandals sprayed the acronyms "UVP" and "UFF" onto the church walls on Irish Green Street and moreover damaged a statue. The Ulster Freedom Fighter (UFF) is known to be a cover name for the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), an umbrella group of various loyalist groups. The UFF is suspected to have killed more than 250 people.
On January 30th, after finishing restoration works of several months, the restorers of the San Vittore Martire Church in Arcisate discovered a graffiti on the side wall of the church. Additionally, the vandals urinated on the church wall and in the corners. The work was halted for two days over the weekend, but it is likely that these acts took place the night before the weekend because the plaster was still fresh. Measures must now be taken to restore it.
The wooden Baby Jesus figure was stolen from the nativity scene at the St. Georg church in Riedlingen on September 28th. It was not know who stole the figure which is of great value to the church.
A Bellevue church was tagged with Anti-Chritian slogans, as discovered by the police on the 28th of January. The walls and doors of the Bellevue parish were covered with inscriptions.
On January 25th, unknown perpetrators attempted to set fire to the Saint-Paul Church located in the district of Mosson. The priest discovered thick smoke coming out of the worship room, which emerged from a wooden table. Ash was found on the table coming from a pile of papers, which indicates that the table was deliberately set on fire. Another indication for a case of arson is an obscene graffiti on a figure of Jesus Christ which was found on the walls of the building. Fire fighters were able to put out the fire but still damage was caused.
On January 25th, a priest became suspicious, as he found cheques from other parishes in his collection box. Therefore he viewed church CCTV footage and saw a man using a hooked piece of wire to remove envelopes containing cash from a collection box. The police arrested a man for questioning about a series of thefts from churches in east Cork, which involved thousands of Euros in cash being stolen out of collection boxes.
On January 24th, the church of Castillo Guarga, in the municipal park of Sabiñánigo was yet again a target of an act of vandalism. The 12th century romanesque window of the church was covered with graffiti. The graffiti has to be removed by a specific cleaning company with special cleaning products due to the porous wall. The police is searching for the unknown perpetrators.
An 800-year-old church located in Stockholm has been attacked twice within one week. It has been reported by Swedish media that on 12 January, three Molotov cocktails were thrown into the Spånga church. The church located just outside of Tensta and flanked by Rinkeby might have been targeted by Muslims, who form the majority of the population in that area. Four days before said incident two explosives were hurled into the Church, one smashed through the church windows, while another one was thrown at the church gate. The church's pastor recalls, “the alarm was triggered when a window was smashed and flammable liquid thrown at the front gate and one of the windows. However, the fire was quickly put out by the police, who used a powder extinguisher”.
In the evening of January 22nd, two young perpetrators broke into the church of San Martino in Rezzato. The vandals completely destroyed the entrance door and pews. The police were informed and a charge was filed.
The interior of the Protestant Christ church in Radolfzell was heavily vandalized on January 22nd. The organ bench, the conductor's platform and a wrought-iron door were thrown from the gallery into the church hall. Parts of the sacristy and the kitchen in the parish hall were also destroyed. In addition, there was a fire set in the area of the lighting system, which the fire fighters were able to extinguish. The church had been cleared out due to renovation works and the front door had been left open so that people could say goodbye to the church in it's old form, the pastor explained. The 63-year-old perpetrator was arrested on the spot. The police started investigations for suspected arson and vandalism.
Unknown perpetrators damaged a 300 years old fresco at the Cathedral of St. Nicholas in Ljubljana. The damage caused by balloons filled with colours amounts to several thousand euros. The incident happened on the evening of January 22nd. The police are investigating, should the vandals be caught they could face up to eight years in prison. The spokesman of the Episcopal Conference, Dr Tadej Jakopič, explains that the fresco was painted in the second half of the 18th century by Julius Quaglio and restored by Janez Wolf in 1872.
On January 21st, vandals destroyed an over 100-year-old chapel in Otwock. The statue of the Virgin Mary was torn off and stolen. Thanks to the efforts of some residents the chapel was renovated and a new statue bought. Because the owners of the chapel are unknown, the police did not take up any investigations.
On January the 20th, unknown perpetrators threw three Molotov cocktails at the church in Spånga. Windows were smashed, the entrance was damaged but no person was harmed during the attack. Pastor Jerker Alsterlund said, "We have no threat against us but it is a strong symbolic act." The police have cordoned off the area and are investigating for arson. Four days later on January 24th a second arson took place. A window was broken and a small fire with some smoke development was detected by a security company. The incident is currently classified as arson and the police is investigating whether there is a connection between the two attacks.
Anonymous intruders broke into the San Juan de Ávila parish in the neighbourhood of El Chorrillo, on January 20th. They stole the tabernacle and in their haste to leave, dropped a number of ecclesiastical items belonging to the tabernacle in the surrounding area. A complaint was filed with the police. The newspaper reports the faithful were very affected and tried to recover all the parts that had been dropped around the church.