As every year, Christmas nativity scenes set up in Europe's big cities were not spared this year either. The vandals set fire to, vandalized, and some fell with hammers on a Holy Family exhibited in Spain.
A 13th-century church nativity scene in Suffolk, Ipswich, England, has been vandalized four days after it was erected. The puppet representing József was beheaded, and several figures were mutilated. Locals condemned the incident and called the perpetrators barbarians.
The parish priest of All Saints Church, Danny Morrison, is bewildered and saddened by what happened. "How can someone have so much hatred and want to destroy something that is not theirs and that symbolizes someone else's faith?" - the European Conservative quotes the priest.
In the outskirts of Strassburg, the Baby Jesus was set on fire. The mayor of the city, Thibaud Phillips, described the incident on Twitter as an "attack on our traditions and values". According to him, "it was a deliberate and conscious act. We will do everything we can to find the perpetrator," he wrote in the post.
In Diest, Belgium, on December 14, the Bethlehem exhibited in the Schaffen district was found damaged. The statues depicting St. Joseph and the Virgin Mary were decapitated, and in broad daylight. According to the locals, this was not the first time Bethlehem had been hit by such an attack.
On December 17, a video was posted on YouTube showing a man hammering a Nativity scene on display in Calahorra, Spain. Thanks to the camera footage, the man has since been arrested by the local police, reports Intolerance against Christians.
On December 25, 30 people were attending a small wooden church in Rautjärvi, Finland, when it caught fire. The building was evacuated immediately, so no one was injured, but the historic Lutheran church was the victim of the fire. According to the police, the fire was the result of deliberate arson.
Based on the results of the investigation so far, "it seems that the fire started from the main entrance of the church and the bell tower, and an explosion-like sound was heard when the fire ignited," said Chief Inspector Ari Järveläinen at a press conference.
Source and full article: vasarnap.hu
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