Severe Vandalism During Historical Commemoration

Country: Spain

Date of incident: July 27, 2009


Around twenty churches were vandalized on the night of July 26th in commemoration of the centenary of the „Tragic Week“ (a series of blood sheding fights between the Spanish army and the working classes) in Barcelona.

Several churches in the Barcelona neighborhoods of Sarrià, Poblenou, Gràcia Sant Gervasi, Raval, Eixample, Sant Andreu and Clot were attacked with anti-Catholic graffiti, and their doors sealed with heavy chains to ban access. Pamphlets signed by "La Gallinaire" were left at the churches vandalized. The group acknowledged  the attacks, and recognized the goal of them was to hinder people from attending mass service, making it impossible for priests to access the churches because of the heavy locks and chains that blocked the church doors or because the excrement and other filth substances trowed inside the church premises. Graffiti displayed insults and threats such as "pedophiles" and  "genocides" to "the only Church that illuminates is the one which burns" and "1909-2009 the fight continues". Pictures from 1909 displaying black smoke from burning churches were also left at the sites vandalized. Sources: http://www.elperiodico.com/es/noticias/barcelona/varias-iglesias-barcelona-aparecen-con-pintadas-los-100-anos-setmana-tragica-147893 http://www.elperiodico.com/es/noticias/barcelona/grupo-radical-sabotea-iglesias-recuerdo-setmana-tragica-241657 http://www.elperiodico.com/es/noticias/barcelona/arzobispado-barcelona-lamenta-las-pintadas-iglesias-centenario-semana-tragica-121790 http://www.elperiodico.com/es/noticias/barcelona/los-mossos-investigan-los-autores-del-ataque-iglesias-bcn-101445 http://berbellin.wordpress.com/2009/07/27/una-lata-de-gasolina/ http://www.hazteoir.org/node/22728 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tragic_Week_%28Catalonia%29 http://melillacampaade1909.blogspot.com/2009_07_31_archive.html