All cases
Vandals Destroy Shrine Outside Church on Pentecost
June 9, 2019, GermanyUnidentified vandals targeted the St. Josef Catholic Church in Ebingen, Albstadt during the night of June 9th (Whitsunday to Whitmonday). They damaged the shrine outside the church by smashing the glass pane, tore down flowerpots, and destroyed candles. They also smashed the mirror glass in the bathroom which is accessible from the outside with a rock. Property damage amounts to about 100 euros.
Persistent Vandalism of Church in Dierdorf
June 6, 2019, GermanyThe Protestant Church in Dierdorf im Westerwald has been a target for vandalism for nearly two years. Reports beginning in July 2017 indicate that vandals have smashed windows, burned feminine hygiene products stuck to a wall to damage wall plaster, left graffiti on the walls and doors, knocked over park benches, and littered the area around the church every week. Property damage has reached tens of thousands of euros. The congregation is frustrated and horrified.
Statue of Parisian School's Patron Saint Smashed
June 4, 2019, FranceOn June 4th, the statue of Archangel Saint-Michel was found smashed into pieces on the grounds of the lycée-collège Saint-Michel de Picpus, a Catholic secondary school in Paris. Unknown vandals also heavily tagged the school's main entrance. The school had installed the statue of its the patron saint outside the school building after a dedication ceremony at the beginning of the school year. On June 4th the statue
Arson Suspected in Ankum Catholic Church Fire
June 1, 2019, GermanyThe fire department in Ankum was called to a smoldering fire in the St. Nikolaus Catholic Church around noon on June 1st. When the team of 33 firefighters in six firetrucks arrived, the Swedish visitors who had initially discovered the two spots of smoldering fire in the church, had already extinguished them out with water. According to police, the church wasn't damaged by the fire and the fire department only had to inspect the site and quickly gave the all-clear. Police suspect arson and began their investigation with the help of the Swedish visitors describing two girls running out of the church just before they themselves entered and the church's surveillance video tapes.
Robbery from Esslingen Church
May 31, 2019, GermanyBetween May 29th and 31st, several unknown perpetrators broke into the Osterfeld Protestant Church in Berkheim, Esslingen. They entered by climbing the porch roof and, once inside, stole three game consoles and eight controllers from the youth room as well as one digital and one SLR camera from a storage room. The value of the stolen goods was estimated at around 1,000 euros and the property damage amounted to around 2,000 euros.
Vandals Burned Bible and Song Book; Left Feces in Church
May 31, 2019, GermanyOn May 31st, the Lutheran Nikolaikirche in Caldern was the target of vandals. Sometime between 8:30 am and 1:30 pm, unknown perpetrators entered the church, set fire to the bible and hymn book on the altar, and damaged three large candles. They also broke into a cabinet and a chest, but stole nothing. Finally, they left a pile of feces at the church entrance and another on a bench outside the church. Property damage amounted to approximately 300 euros and it is not yet clear how the perpetrators accessed the church. For the time being, the church will stay closed while investigations are ongoing.
Stained Glass Windows Smashed at La Roë Abbey in Mayenne
May 30, 2019, FranceSome time between May 29th and 30th, rocks were thrown at the stained glass windows of the north transept of La Roë Abbey.
Crucifix at Church Vandalized Twice in Two Weeks in Marseille
May 29, 2019, FranceA large crucifix with Christ figure in front of the Saint-Patrice church in the Croix-Rouge district of Marseille was vandalized with blue paint on May 29th. According to reports, this is the second such vandalism in 15 days.
Crucifixes Targeted at Cemetery in Montpellier
May 29, 2019, FranceDuring the night of May 29th to 30th, twelve graves were vandalized in the cemetery Celleneuve in Montpellier (Hérault department). The perpetrators appeared to have specifically targeted crucifixes. The police closed the cemetery on the Ascension holiday to conduct an investigation. Titina Dasylva, deputy mayor in charge of security, expressed her outrage about the incident on Twitter.
Crucifix Destroyed in Płońsk
May 28, 2019, PolandOn May 28th, the Catholic Chapel of St. Padre Pio in Płońsk was the target of vandals who desecrated the chapel's crucifix by taking it off the wall and smashing it. According to the parish priest, a parishioner who came to pray in the chapel found the cross on the floor and the ceramic Jesus Christ statue from the cross broken into pieces. Police are investigating.
Graffiti on Church in Kronach
May 26, 2019, GermanyOn a Sunday afternoon, perpetrators tagged a church in Kronach with the tags "RCS" and "RCG" causing damage estimated at about 500 euros. The graffiti was found on the main entrance door and on a message board.
Vandalism of Alpine Church Continues
May 25, 2019, ItalyVandalism such as graffiti and littering has been a recurring problem at the ancient church of Santa Maria in Colle. (Link below to April incident). On May 25th perpetrators struck again. Graffiti in the form of doodles and insults was found on the church walls and quickly removed. In a response to the persistent vandalism, a local historian appealed to everyone to keep the church clean and sacred by emphasizing the value and importance of the place for the community and accentuating that workers once had given their lives to build this church. However, the vandals were little impressed by his appeal and made the church their target as they returned to cover the freshly whitewashed walls of the church with graffiti again that same night.
Arson at Derry Catholic Church
May 24, 2019, United KingdomPolice investigated an arson attack on the Holy Family Catholic Church in Ballymagroarty (Northern Ireland). An outbuilding next to the church was set on fire at around 10:30pm on May 24th. 20 firefighters battled the blaze which spread to the church roof and were able to contain it before it spread to the chapel or parochial house. The parochial house was evacuated. The fire service reported that CCTV cameras filmed two people setting the fire.
Sainte-Anne Chapel in Brest Repeatedly Targeted
May 20, 2019, FranceDuring the night of May 20th to May 21st, the Chapelle Sainte-Anne in Brest was again the target of vandalism in the form of graffiti. It is not the first time unknown perpetrators have sprayed obscene and blasphemous tags on the wall of the chapel or disturbed Sunday services. The abbot said: "The chapel is regularly targeted by nauseating inscriptions. ...The ideology of their authors is clear. Residents testify to their desolation at seeing hatred spread regularly against this peaceful chapel."
Vandals Burn Statue of Jesus in Großholbach Church
May 19, 2019, GermanyPolice reported that unknown perpetrators broke in a church window with stones and invaded the interior of the church of the Heiligen Dreifaltigkeit in Großholbach (Westerwald in Rhineland-Palatinate) during the night of May 18th to 19th. Several sacred objects, including statues of saints, were broken. The Jesus figure was removed from the crucifix and burned. The intruders also urinated in the aisle and on several pews.
Fires Set in Nordhausen Church
May 18, 2019, GermanyPolice announced on May 19th that a tablecloth had been set on fire in the vestibule of St. Blasii's Evangelical church in Nordhausen during the night of May 18th. Fortunately, it did not catch fire completely. There were also traces of fire on a cordon to the church balcony. The professional fire brigade used a thermal imaging camera to scan other areas for evidence of fires. Police are now looking for witnesses who may have seen something suspicious.
Vandalism of Chiesa di Sant’Orso Facade
May 17, 2019, ItalyBoth sides of the main wooden entrance portal to the church of Sant'Orso were painted with female faces in the Japanese comic style during the night of May 16th to 17th. The vandals also painted the letters A and T next to the faces. Police are reviewing CCTV footage.
Vandalism of Church and Walls in Orvieto Medieval Quarter
May 12, 2019, ItalyFor what was is described as the "umpteenth" time, the walls of the medieval Rupe quarter and the facade of its church, San Giovenale, were vandalized with graffiti which included "blasphemous phrases." Police began an investigation and specialized cleaning teams will be hired to remove the paint.
Vandalism in Villeurbanne Church
May 12, 2019, FranceDuring the night of May 12th, intruders entered the church of Sainte-Famille in Villeurbanne (Rhône) and damaged the holy water stoup, candles, and left trash. The city's urban safety brigade is investigating.
Christian Statues Stolen from Cemetery
May 10, 2019, FranceThree metal, meter-high, statues of Christian figures were stolen off their granite pedestals in a family plot in the cemetery of Argenton-les-Vallées (Deux-Sèvres). Police are investigating.