Attacks against Christian places of worship continue to occur in France with a church in the commune of Manduel having been vandalised twice in just ten days and another in Toulouse being vandalised with the words “Allah u Ackbar” written on its door.
The attacks in Manduel occurred at the church of Saint-Genest, with the latest incident occurring earlier this week, according to a report from French newspaper Midi Libre. The newspaper reports that the paschal candles and those dedicated to the Virgin Mary were both set on fire and the power supply to the church’s main organ was also damaged.
Police who arrived on the scene on the day after the vandalism say they also found the remains of food and drink, likely that were consumed by the attackers, and confirmed they have launched a full investigation into the desecration.
Another church attack occurred in the city of Toulouse at the Notre-Dame du Taur, a church famous for the claim of having been built on a site linked to the patron saint of the city, Saint Saturnin.
According to the group Protège ton église (Protect Your Church), who posted news of the attack on their Facebook page, they noticed one of the doors of the church had been vandalised with the words “Allah u Ackbar.”
“This desecration is reminiscent of the place of Islamism in the acts of Christianophobes and the danger that this phenomenon represents for our churches and Christians around the world. France remembers Father Hamel murdered with this cry,” the group wrote.
Father Jacques Hamel was murdered by radical Islamic terrorists while giving mass in July 2016 in Normandy. The attack was believed to have been a target for Islamic State, according to a note found in 2015 in the possession of suspected jihadist Sid Ahmed Ghlam.
According to figures released earlier this year, around three French Christian sites are attacked across the country per day in President Emmanuel Macron’s France.