All cases
Nativity Scenes Destroyed and Burned Down in Ypres Saint Martin Church and Neighbourhoods of Marke, Watermael-Boitsfort and Mousset
January 1, 2020, BelgiumThe nativity scene of Ypres Saint Martin Church has been damaged numerous times in the last period. Perpetrators tore the baby Jesus apart as well as smeared the figures of the saints with ketchup. The hat of Joseph disappeared twice, and the dolls were pulled apart. In another neighbourhood, Marke, the baby Jesus has also been stolen from the nativity scene and hung above the tunnel. In Watermael-Boitsfort and Mousset, the nativity scenes were set on fire. The cases have been suspected as arson.
Theft of Stola and repeated Contamination of Confessional in Church of Alzenau-Hörstein
January 0, 2020, GermanyIn the church "Mariä Himmelfahrt" in Alzenau-Hörstein, faeces were repeatedly left in the confessional; in addition, a stole was stolen. The suspected perpetrator was caught by chance during a traffic control.
Extremists Set Fire to Christian Journalist’s Car in Berlin
December 31, 2019, GermanyOn December 31st German pro-life journalist Gunnar Schupelius’s car was destroyed in an arson attack for which the so-called “Autonomous Feminist Cell” claimed responsibility.
Jesus Statue Beheaded in the Crèche of Caprino Veronese
December 31, 2019, ItalyParishioners at the New Year's Day Mass learned from the priest that the statue of Jesus was no longer in the cradle in the nativity scene in Piazza San Marco in Caprino Veronese because it had been decapitated the night before.
Christmas Figures Broken by Vandals on New Year's Eve
December 31, 2019, ItalyStatues in the nativity scene in Piazza della Libertà, Lizzanello (Lecce) were vandalized by unknown perpetrators during the night of December 31st. The faces of several of the handmade statues were smashed.
Christ Figure Stolen from Nativity on New Year's Eve
December 31, 2019, ItalyOn New Year's Eve, a man riding a bicycle was filmed by security cameras stopping at the crèche in Lecce's Piazza Duomo and stealing the Christ child figure.
Nativity Scene Dismantled Early Due to Repeated Vandalism
December 30, 2019, ItalyVolunteers from the volunteer association Pro Loco of Robbiate were forced to take down the nativity installation prematurely due to repeated vandalism. Vandalism included detaching wooden planks from the hut, dismantling pieces of the roof, and throwing away ornaments and furnishings. The display was dismantled on December 29th instead of January 6th.
Four Teenagers Vandalized Christ Child Statue in Nativity Scene
December 29, 2019, ItalyFour teenaged boys were identified and referred to the Public Prosecutor at the Juvenile Court of Bresci on allegations that they vandalized the statue of the Christ child in the nativity scene in the piazza outside the basilica in San Benedetto Po. The day after the incident, police found the head and torso of the statue hanging on an iron pole on the opposite side of the piazza. Evidence collected led the police to the four perpetrators, described as Muslims, born in Italy, of Moroccan descent. They reportedly admitted their involvement in the incident.
Statue of Christ Child Hanged in Mogliano Veneto
December 29, 2019, ItalyThe statue of the Christ child was discovered removed from the nativity scene in Piazza Berto in Mogliano and hung above the ground with an electric cable around its neck. Plastic cups littered the ground of the crèche.
Electrical Equipment Stolen from Live Nativity Set
December 29, 2019, ItalyThe electrical materials used for a live nativity performance in Canosa di Puglia were stolen on December 29th by unknown thieves.
Christ Child Statue Taken from Crèche; Thrown to the Ground
December 28, 2019, ItalyThe resin figure of Jesus was taken out of the public nativity scene in Parè di Conegliano during the night between December 27th and 28th and thrown to the ground nearby by unknown vandals. Other figures in the scene were toppled and the cradle was stolen.
Paint and Fire Attack on Evangelical Church in Germany
December 27, 2019, GermanyOn December 27th an anonymous group attacked the independent evangelical church TOS Ministries Tübingen in southern Germany. Several masked people simultaneously set a minibus owned by the church on fire and sprayed the entry area of the church with purple paint. According to the police, the attack resulted in damage of 40,000 euros. A group calling itself a "Feminist Autonomous Cell" (“Feministische Autonome Zelle” FAZ) claimed responsibility for the attack a few days later in an online letter.
Elaborate Nativity Scene Damaged by Vandals
December 26, 2019, ItalyThe nativity scene in Valgiano, which was nine meters wide and 8 meters high, with an area of over 30 square meters, most of which is occupied by water, including a central lake, a smaller body of water, and waterfalls was vandalized on December 26th. Unknown perpetrators threw detergent into the water, which may have reacted with chlorine, creating a sea of foam and a pungent smell.
Church Crèche Vandalized Three Times Around Christmas
December 25, 2019, FranceThe nativity scene installed in front of the Notre-Dame church of Dijon was vandalized with litter and garbage bags three times between December 20th and 25th.
Thieves Stole Baby Jesus Statue and Crib on Christmas Day
December 25, 2019, ItalyThieves removed the handmade statue of the Jesus child and wooden cradle on Christmas day at the Don Angelo Frare park near the parish church in Mosnigo.
Ourense Nativity Scene Vandalized Three Times Leading up to Christmas
December 24, 2019, SpainA nativity scene in the city of Ourense was damaged on the morning of December 20th, the Christ child figure was stolen and arms broken on December 23rd, and after being recovered and installed again on December 24th, the figure was stolen again on Christmas Day.
Children's Crèche Scene Destroyed by Vandals
December 24, 2019, ItalyDuring night between December 23 and 24, unidentified vandals entered a park while it was closed and destroyed some of the polystyrene figures in a nativity scene made by elementary school children. They also threw the figures into a pond.
Nativity Scene Vandalized on Christmas Eve
December 24, 2019, ItalyResidents in Ossi, a town a few kilometers from Sassari (Sardinia), woke on Christmas day to discover that the crèche installed by a local group (Pro Loco), in collaboration with the municipal administration, had been vandalized on the town's main street. The statues were torn up, dragged, and abandoned on the street.
Christ Statue Stolen from Crib; Beheaded and Abandoned in Cemetery
December 24, 2019, ItalyA statue of the Christ child, placed in the manger of the nativity scene in front of the parish church of Arbus, in southern Sardinia, was beheaded by vandals. The head was left in front of the municipal cemetery. After it was found, the head was glued back on to the body, but the local community was shocked.
Arsonists Target Set of Live Nativity Performance
December 24, 2019, ItalyAt 10:15 p.m. on December 24th, unknown arsonists set fire to the roof of the set of a live nativity performance in Revine. The scene, made with wooden planks and poles and covered with reeds that volunteers had recovered a few days earlier from nearby lakes, was located in the churchyard of the church of San Matteo. A bottle of alcohol and a pair of building site gloves, tools used by arsonists to set the fire, were found on the ground. Two teams of firefighters from Vittorio Veneto rushed to the scene and managed to tame the fire before it could affect the wooden structure.