05/01/2023

URŞHLEM (JERUSALEM): Attack on Christian graves in Protestant cemetery

URŞHLEM (JERUSALEM) ꟷ In a clear violation of the sanctity of graves, two young men attacked a Protestant cemetery in Urşhlem, toppling stone crosses and smashing tombstones. The diocese warned against acts of clear hatred towards Christians motivated by religious fanaticism, and authorities should arrest the perpetrators.

Dozens of Christian graves in the Protestant cemetery in Urşhlem were subjected to desecration and vandalism. An attack described as an immoral act and an insult to religion. Archbishop of the Anglican Church in Urşhlem and the Middle East, Hossam Naoum, explained that what happened was a sinful attack and a hate crime.

The archdiocese warned that the desecration of the cemetery should be seen as an ominous warning of hatred of Christians, that these criminal acts were motivated by religious fanaticism, and that the authorities should double up efforts to find the perpetrators.

The British consulate in Urşhlem stated that what happened was nothing more than the latest episode in a series of attacks on Christians in the city of Urşhlem.

Footage recorded by a security camera and circulated on social media showed two young men wearing a Jewish cap and hanging a knotted rosary of strings, as they stormed the cemetery, dropped stone crosses, smashed tombstones and trampled them, leaving behind traces of debris and broken tombstones.