Jesus Christ — or the way he is depicted in statues — is under relentless attack in Germany.
In a bizarre crime wave sweeping the European country, at least 50 statues of Christ and other Christian figures have been defaced and smashed to pieces, reports said.
In one of the vandalised statues, Jesus Christ had its head lopped off, according to Heatstreet. Other statues of Christ and Christian saints have missing limbs or other fragments, while others have their faces bashed.
Many of the defaced and destroyed statues are found in the Münster region in west Germany, which has a dense Muslim population, according to German authorities.
"Not a day goes by" without attacks on religious statues in the town of less than 50,000 people and the immediate surrounding area, Breitbart quoted a newspaper from one town in Münster as saying.
Despite the rampant attacks, not a single culprit has been arrested and charged in court. All that German police officers could tell local media is that they suspect a "religious background" to the crimes and that they were driven by "pure lust for destruction."
The police said they were investigating six men with alleged links to Islamic extremists, but gave up after three left for Syria, one died and the other two dropped off the radar, according to the German tabloid Bild.
The destruction of the statues and the failure of the local police to address the crime wave have dismayed Christian residents in Münster. "We're all very concerned by what is happening, and we're also angry," said Günther Fehmer, who oversees the town's finances.
Fehmer said the Christian residents of the town will be paying for the statues' repair and replacement, adding that the damage will cost them a "whopping six figure sum."
He said the town is helpless to counter the wave of vandalism. "You can't take these sculptures inside in the evening and you can't watch them all night," he said. "And a video camera in public spaces is also problematic."
This is not the first time religious statues and artefacts have been targeted for destruction in the town. For the past two years. 40 sculptures have been defaced, according to Bild.
