In New York, a vandal destroyed a statue of the Virgin Mary at a Catholic church

Another incident of religious intolerance has been reported at a Catholic parish in Queens, New York: an unidentified man committed an act of vandalism by smashing a statue of the Virgin Mary with a hammer. The perpetrator knocked the sculpture off its pedestal and decapitated it, marking the fourth such incident at this church this year. This was reported by QNS.

The incident occurred early in the morning on August 1 on the grounds of St. Rita’s Church, located in the Dutch Kills neighborhood. The act of vandalism was confirmed by surveillance camera footage, which shows a man jumping over the fence and then proceeding to destroy the statue. The Diocese of Brooklyn noted that the parish is regularly targeted: previous incidents have included damage to stained-glass windows and a statue of St. Jude, as well as acts of vandalism against a statue of St. Francis of Assisi.

The New York Police Department’s Hate Crimes Unit is currently investigating the incident. Law enforcement is searching for the suspect, who is described as a man with light skin and dark hair.

As a reminder, IDF soldiers previously desecrated statues of the Virgin Mary in Lebanon.