All cases

Filtered by: Intolerance towards Religious Symbols

Vandalism in Garbenteich Church: Bible Damaged with Fire

March 22, 2026, Germany

A Protestant church in Garbenteich was vandalised, with fire damage affecting the altar Bible and altar area.

Bible set on fire on altar of Protestant Church in Le Sentier

March 15, 2026, Switzerland

A Bible was deliberately set on fire on the altar of a Protestant church in Le Sentier, causing damage and leading to the brief hospitalisation of the pastor due to smoke inhalation. A suspect has been arrested, and authorities are investigating the incident as arson targeting a place of worship.

Cross Removed from Church Façade and Discarded in Garbage

March 13, 2026, Germany

Unknown individuals dismantled a large cross from the façade of the Evangelical Methodist Church in Pleidelsheim, and discarded it in a nearby garbage can.

Gunfire Damages Fresco at Tuscania Sanctuary

March 13, 2026, Italy

Unknown individuals fired shots at the church of the Madonna del Cerro in Tuscania, damaging a fresco of the Madonna and parts of the church’s exterior. The Carabinieri have opened an investigation.

Crucifix and confessionals vandalised in San Pietro a Vico Church

March 11, 2026, Italy

Unknown perpetrators vandalised San Pietro a Vico Church, destroying confessionals and breaking a crucifix.

Altar vandalised inside Saint Roch Church in Paris

March 9, 2026, France

An altar inside Saint-Roch Church featuring a large gilded structure resembling the Ark of the Covenant was vandalised by unknown individuals. The attackers damaged decorative elements causing significant damage to the 19th-century religious piece.

Medieval Holy Water Stela Deliberately Damaged at Altenberg Cathedral

March 3, 2026, Germany

A medieval holy water stela was deliberately toppled and severely damaged inside Altenberg Cathedral in North Rhine-Westphalia. Parish officials ruled out an accident due to the size and weight of the object and are planning restoration.

Roadside Shrine Targeted In Theft

January 24, 2026, Poland

A statue of the Virgin Mary disappeared from a small roadside shrine in the Bródno district of Warsaw, Polish media reported. The figure was taken from a chapel located on Syrokomli Street, where it had been kept behind glass.

Vandals Damage Religious Statue Inside Church

January 21, 2026, France

A statue of the Virgin Mary was found to have been deliberately knocked over and damaged on 21 January 2026 inside the Église Saint-Sylve in Toulouse, where the parish priest discovered the overturned figure after the morning Mass.

Missal Set Ablaze in Alessandria Chapel

January 19, 2026, Italy

On the morning of 19 January 2026, an unknown individual set fire to a liturgical missal inside the Chiesa del Monserrato in Alessandria.

Nativity Display Destroyed in Cordovado

January 11, 2026, Italy

Vandals destroyed a nativity scene displayed on the church forecourt in Cordovado, in the province of Pordenone, during the night of 10–11 January 2026, prompting condemnation from local authorities.

Vandals Damage Agropoli Church

January 10, 2026, Italy

A church in Agropoli was vandalised in a late‑evening incident that left sacred furnishings and a religious statue damaged.

Infant Jesus Statue Decapitated in Church Vandalism

January 8, 2026, France

A Nativity scene inside a church in Le Passage, France, was vandalised in early January 2026, with the statue of the infant Jesus decapitated and dismembered and other figures broken.

Altar and Prayer Books Defaced at Catholic Church in Gersfeld

January 7, 2026, Germany

Vandals targeted the Catholic church of Mariä Himmelfahrt in Gersfeld between 5 and 6 January, defacing prayer and altar books, in an incident possibly linked to vandalism at the evangelical‑lutheran Baroque church the day before.

Jeanne d’Arc Statue Vandalised in Paris

January 2, 2026, France

In Paris on 2 January, the statue of Jeanne d’Arc on the Place Saint‑Augustin, located in front of the Église Saint‑Augustin, was vandalised in full daylight. An individual climbed the monument and forcibly removed the blade of the saint’s sword in the presence of passers‑by.

Statue of Baby Jesus Smashed on Christmas Eve

December 24, 2025, United Kingdom

On Christmas Eve vandals smashed a statue of the Infant Jesus and relics in the Lady Chapel desecrated at St. Patrick’s Church in Edinburgh. There was blood left in multiple areas of the sanctuary, and the figure was thrown into a bin during a confrontation between two distressed visitors.

Two Religious Statues Smashed

November 5, 2025, France

Two religious statues were deliberately broken inside the Church of Notre-Dame de l'Assomption in Montcenis, in what authorities are treating as an act of anti-Christian vandalism.

Religious Statues Beheaded in Biguglia

October 14, 2025, France

In mid-October 2025, three sacred statues were deliberately destroyed in Biguglia, Haute-Corse, prompting a strong reaction from the local community.

Two Churches Attacked by Knife-Wielding Man, Disrupting Mass

August 16, 2025, France

A suspected drug addict armed with a Swiss Army knife desecrated two churches near Paris, terrifying worshippers and resisting arrest.

Cross sawn up and corpus placed upside down

July 25, 2025, Germany

Vandals sawed down a roughly two-metre-high cross outside a church in Bann, desecrated the figure of Christ, and urinated in the sacristy—prompting shock in the local community and an ongoing police investigation.