All cases
Suspected Arson at San Girolamo Church in Rimini
June 29, 2020, ItalyOn June 29th, firefighters were called to the San Girolamo Church in the city of Rimini shortly after 3:30 in the afternoon. A pedestrian reported smoke emanating from the storage room of the church building where old furniture and plastic chairs formed the basis for the fire. Fortunately, the firefighting team was able to quell the blaze. A forensics team investigated whether the fire had been intentionally set, noting that nothing indicated that short circuits or similar faults were the cause of the fire.
Attempted Arson at Rennes Cathedral
June 12, 2020, FranceDuring the night from the 11th to 12th of June, Rennes firefighters intervened to extinguish an intentionally-set fire in front of a door of the Saint-Pierre cathedral in Rennes. A trash bin, placed just in front of the door located at the back of the building, on Rue Saint-Sauveur, was set on fire. According to the first impressions from the investigation, this was a voluntary act because the bin was brought from an adjacent street and deliberately placed outside the door.
Fire Set in Saint Anna Church
March 21, 2020, GermanyAn unknown person set fire to the seat cushion of a wooden prayer bench in the Catholic Church of Saint Anna in Blieskastel-Biesingen. This incident happened between the evening of March 21st and the afternoon of March 22. The police are investigating and searching for witnesses.
Man Arrested for Norway Church Fires
March 19, 2020, NorwayPolice arrested and charged a man in his 20s for a church fire in Dombås and attempted arson at a church in Sel. The man admitted criminal charges. "He has stated as a reason for the actions that he was angry and cursed because [he heard that] a Norwegian man set fire to the Koran without the police having done anything about it," Hedmarken district court wrote in the ruling.
Arson at Historic Church of Saint-Apollinaire
March 16, 2020, FranceOn March 16th, unidentified perpetrators set fire to the church Saint-Apollinaire built in the 12th century in Meximieux in eastern France. The fire was extinguished by local firefighters and police arrested the arsonists, but still the church will be closed to the public until further notice.
Bible set on fire in Krefeld Church
March 6, 2020, GermanyOn March 6th, fires were set in the Catholic church Maria Waldrast in Krefeld. Between 10:00 and 6:00 p.m. someone set fire to a bible under a prayer bench in the nave of the church, as well as the paper displays in the entrance. The damage was minor. A week earlier, someone set a basket on fire in the church. The police began an investigation and sought witnesses.
Arson at Swiss Church
March 3, 2020, SwitzerlandOn the afternoon of March 3rd, an arson attack was committed in the Eusebiuskirche in Grenchen. Fortunately, the fire was discovered before major damage was caused. The police are looking for witnesses.
Charente-Maritime: the Church of Port-d'Envaux desecrated, vandalized, and looted
February 22, 2020, FranceParishioners discovered vandalism, desecration, and theft in the Saint-Saturnin-de-Séchaud church in Port d'Envaux on February 22nd. They found the door of the sacristy broken, the door of the tabernacle forced open, consecrated hosts stolen, and the altar of the Virgin Mary damaged. All objects of value were stolen from the sacristy.
Violent Burglary in Saint-Charbel Monastery
February 13, 2020, BelgiumThree masked individuals armed with a crowbar burst into the Saint-Charbel Monastery in Ophain-Bois-Seigneur-Isaac between 2:30 and 3:30 a.m. on February 13th. The intruders detained a monk and forced him to open various doors, including those of a parish office and furniture containing offerings. The identity of the perpetrators and extent of the loss have not been determined. The monastery, run by the Lebanese Maronite Order, is home to refugees hosted by the monks.
Arson in Oetwil am See Church
February 7, 2020, SwitzerlandOn February 7th, shortly before 5 a.m., heavy smoke came from the Kirche am Chilenrain in Oetwil am See. According to the Zurich cantonal police, the fire caused property damage of several hundred thousand francs. A 41-year-old was arrested on suspicion of setting the fire.
Desecration of Tabernacle and Theft in Carrión de los Céspedes
January 29, 2020, SpainJust two days after the desecration and theft from the chapel of the Clinical Hospital of Valencia, a group of thieves attacked the parish of Carrión de los Céspedes in Seville, stealing several religious objects and the gold crowns of the two figures of the Virgin of the Rosary and the Child Jesus that were prepared for a procession on February 1st for the 400th anniversary of the Brotherhood of the Rosary of Carrión.
Consecrated Hosts Stolen from Chapel Moments Before Mass
January 26, 2020, SpainOn January 26th, moments before the celebration of the evening Mass, unknown perpetrators removed the monstrance holding the consecrated host, a pyx (a small round container holding a consecrated host), and a ciborium with fifty consecrated hosts inside from the tabernacle of the Chapel of the Hospital Clínico Universitario de Valencia. The monstrance was later found in the chapel's confessional and dozens of consecrated hosts were discovered scattered on the street.
12-Year-Old Boy Attacked at Paris School for Wearing Cross
January 14, 2020, FranceOn January 14th, at the collège Marx-Dormoy, in the 18th arrondissement of Paris, a 12-year-old boy of Serbian origin was brutally attacked for not removing a chain necklace on which a cross hung under his clothes. The website Svi Sribi u Parizu (All Serbs in Paris) reported that the alleged attackers were five other 11-year-old pupils. When he refused to remove it, the alleged attackers surrounded him. One of the boys pushed him to the ground, and all of them started kicking him. The boy was beaten all over his body, resulting in serious injuries to his face and genitals. The attack ended when other pupils screamed for help.
Man Arrested for Setting Fire at Bayonne Church
January 11, 2020, FranceA man suspected of committing the January 11th arson attack on the Saint-Esprit church in Bayonne was arrested the following day. Investigators were able to quickly determine that the fire had been deliberately set and video surveillance images made it possible to identify the suspect who was seen in the images leaving the church a few minutes before the first smoke was visible. The fire, which left no one injured, was brought under control by the firefighters but the suffered extreme smoke damage.
Third Suspicious Fire in 18 Months at Syrian Orthodox Church
January 5, 2020, SwedenOn January 5th a fire was discovered in the meeting room of Syrian Orthodox St. Maria’s Church in Norrköping. After firefighters extinguished the fire, investigators classified it as arson. Just a month before, on December 3rd 2019 a similar incident occurred when someone poured gasoline outside the church and lit it. Those two fires were not the first time the building fell victim to a suspected arson attack. In August 2018 police investigated another case. The church assembly has been discussing plans enhance security, including enlisting volunteers take turns guarding the church at night to complement the police patrols and security cameras.
Two Nativity Scenes Burnt in Ivrea
January 4, 2020, ItalyPolice in Ivrea (near Turin) identified a 46-year-old woman suspected of setting fire to two church nativity scenes: one in the church of San Maurizio and the second in the church of San Salvatore on January 4th. She faces a complaint for damage. The fires not only destroyed the two nativity scenes with plastic statuettes, but in the Church of San Maurizio the fire practically incinerated a painting by Tullio Alemanni, "The Baptism of Jesus," which was located above the baptismal font next to the crèche, in addition to a fresco, also by Alemanni, positioned between the crèche and the baptismal font.
Infant Jesus and Cradle Burnt in Manger Scene
January 1, 2020, ItalyInhabitants of Pedemonte were shocked to discover that the figure of the baby Jesus in the nativity scene erected in the Piazza San Rocco church square was burnt on New Year's Eve. Only the charred remains of the figure were left inside the blackened wooden cradle.
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.
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.
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.