Church arson

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Church arson is burning or attempting to burn religious property, because empty churches are soft targets, racial hatred, pyromania, prejudice against certain religious beliefs, greed, or as part of communal violence or dissent or anti-religious sentiment.

Contents

In the United States, arson of black churches was common in the south during the civil rights era. [1] Arson continued in the 1990s, damaging many black churches. Congress passed the Church Arson Prevention Act in 1996, and President Bill Clinton formed the National Church Arson Task Force due to a sharp increase in church arson. [2] The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) was created as a division of the Treasury Department in 1972 to investigate arson (it is now a part of the Department of Justice). [3]

By country

Australia

In 2015, St. James Roman Catholic Church in Brighton, Melbourne was burnt to the ground after allegations of sexual abuse came out regarding former Roman Catholic priest Ronald Pickering. Australian actress Rachel Griffiths, formerly a member of the church, said she was 'quite elated'. [4]

St. Mary's Catholic Church in Dandenong, also connected to Pickering, was burnt as well.[ citation needed ] St. Mary's Church in St Kilda East was damaged by a suspicious fire after being connected to former priest and convicted child sex offender Kevin O'Donnell. [5]

Canada

The historic St. John's Anglican Church of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, built in 1754, caught fire in a suspected arson on Halloween night, 2001. It was later rebuilt and reopened on June 12, 2005. [6] [7]

Police in Merritt, British Columbia in January 2019 arrested and charged a man with a fire that destroyed the 143-year-old Murray United Church, and two other more minor church fires nearby. [8] He later pled guilty and was sentenced to 24 months of house arrest on condition he refrain from drug and alcohol use. [9]

In November 2020, St. Andrew’s Anglican Church and South Caradoc United Church, both in Muncey, Ontario, were destroyed by fire. Its pastor said "anger from things that happened, that may have something to do with it,” and the diocese cautioned against speculation and called for responsible reporting. Former Anglican clergyman and pedophile priest David Norton had been convicted of sex crimes against children in his parish. [10]

After the 2021 Canadian Indian residential schools gravesite discoveries, some B.C. Catholic churches on First Nations land were deliberately burned to the ground. [11] An Anglican church in B.C. was also set on fire but the fire was isolated and put out. [12] Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and band governments and chiefs have condemned the arsonists. [12] [13] [14] Harsha Walia, the executive director of the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association, tweeted "burn it all down," and the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs expressed "strong solidarity with (Harsha Walia) in condemning the brutally gruesome genocide of residential ‘school’ system by Canada and Church". [15]

Chile

Prior to Pope Francis's visit to Chile in January 2018, a number of arsons at churches in took place in the capital city of Santiago. Most involved firebombs accompanied by sprayed accelerants. A barrel believed to contain flammable liquid was discovered in one evangelical church. However the damage was insignificant. Pamphlets addressing the pontiff left at the scene of one of the fires read: "The next bombs will be in your cassock." [16] The papal visit was dominated by the sex crimes of Fernando Karadima, whose protégé, Bishop Juan Barros was protected by the Pope, despite accusations of complicity. [17] A pamphlet left at another scene made references to Mapuche causes. President Michelle Bachelet said in a radio address that those respinsible for the "strange" firebombings, adding that "people can express themselves as long as they do it in a peaceful way." [18]

India

Remains of a church property burnt down during 2008 Kandhamal violence in Orissa in August 2008 Orissa violence destroyedbuilding.jpg
Remains of a church property burnt down during 2008 Kandhamal violence in Orissa in August 2008

During the 1998 attacks on Christians in southeastern Gujarat, Human Rights Watch reported dozens of churches and prayer halls burned down by Sangh Parivar members. [19]

Hundreds of churches were burnt during the 2008 Kandhamal violence in the Kandhamal district of Odisha after murders of Hindu activists for which Maoist guerrillas later claimed responsibility. [20]

St. Sebastian's Church in Delhi was badly damaged by fire in December 2014. Although authorities initially said that the fire was structural, the police later announced that it had been caused by arson. [21] [22]

Niger

At least ten people were killed and 45 churches were burned by Islamists in Niger following the Charlie Hebdo shooting in January 2015. [23]

Norway

On 6 June 1992, Fantoft Stave Church burned down. The wooden structure in Fortun was built in 1150 when Vikings converted to Christianity. It was moved to Bergen in 1883. [24] The fire was attributed to lightning and electrical failure. In January 1993 however, Varg Vikernes claimed responsibility in an interview by a local journalist. Vikernes, a proponent of White nationalism and racialist neopagan ideology, declared that he wanted to blow up Blitz House and Nidaros Cathedral. He supported church arsons but denied responsibility. The charred remnants of a church appeared on his Burzum album titled Aske ("ashes"). After the interview, police arrested him. [25]

In 1994, Vikernes was found guilty of murder, arson and possession of illegal weapons (including explosives) and given the maximum sentence under Norwegian law of 21 years in prison. [25] He was released in 2009. [26]

Pakistan

On August 16, 2023, in the city of Jaranwala, Pakistan, thousands of Muslims engaged in church arsons and Bible desecrations. At least 21 churches were burnt down. [27] [28]

Sweden

The Södra Råda Old Church, built around 1320, was considered of high cultural value thanks to its beautiful and well preserved medieval wall-paintings and original wooden walls. It was burnt down in 2001. A replica of the church opened in 2022.

United Kingdom

In 1973, St Mary's Church in Putney, London was badly damaged in by arson. [29] [ dead link ]

In 1998 the church of St Bartholomew Allen's Cross in Northfield, a district of the UK's second city, Birmingham, was attacked by arsonists. The church was deemed beyond repair and demolished in 2008. [30]

United States

History

Within the Hate Crime Statistics Act, Blacks are the targets of many hate crimes. African-American historian C. Eric Lincoln wrote in Coming Through the Fire: Surviving Race and Place in America that the first recorded church arson of a black church happened in 1822 in South Carolina. Arson by white mobs also occurred in Cincinnati in 1829 and through the 1830s in Philadelphia. In the 1950s and 1960s, as civil rights activism and the desegregation of public places such as schools and restaurants were starting to increase, so was the burning and bombing of black churches. A notorious bombing in September 1963 at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, killed four young girls. [31] Arson of African American churches continued in the southern United States in the early 1990s. The arsonists were generally young white males with racist beliefs, often under the influence of drugs or alcohol. [1] It was still mostly directed towards black churches. [31] A gang of Georgia teenaged high school dropouts burglarized, vandalized, and burnt 90 churches, both black and white. They told police that they vandalized or burnt the churches where they didn’t find money. [1]

Church Arson Prevention Act

The S. 1980 (104th): Church Arson Prevention Act of 1996 was introduced to Congress on June 19, 1996, but died in a Senate committee. It was sponsored by congressman Lauch Faircloth. [32] On May 23, 1996, the House of Representatives introduced H.R. 3525 (104th): Church Arson Prevention Act, which passed both houses in Congress and was signed by President Bill Clinton on July 3, 1996. This bill, sponsored by Republican Henry Hyde, became law number Pub.L. 104-155. [33] The bill made federal prohibitions against damaging religious property or obstructing the free exercise of religious beliefs applicable where it affects interstate commerce.” [33] One of the changes in the bill was the sentence increase for “defacing or destroying any religious real property because of race, color, or ethnic characteristics…” from 10 to 20 years. It also changed the statute of limitations from five years to seven years, and reauthorized the Hate Crimes Statistics Act. [34]

National Church Arson Task Force

President Clinton created the National Church Arson Task Force (NCATF) to look for connections in the church arsons and help overburdened police forces. [35] According to a first-year report to the president in June 1997, they opened investigation to 429 cases of arson, bombings, or attempted bombings of churches since January 1, 1995. [36] A second report in October 1998 covered 241 more cases between January 1, 1995, and September 8, 1998, for a total of 670 investigations. [2] A third report in January 2000 reviewed another 157 cases for a total of 827. [37] The task force disbanded, but the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) continues to investigate church burnings. Church arsons decreased 82 percent from 1,320 in 1980 to 240 in 2002 according to the National Fire Protection Association. [38]

Just 16% of fires at churches in the US south were intentionally lit, according to Insurance Journal. [39]

2015

After the Charleston church shooting in June 2015, a number of suspected church arson attacks were documented. [40] [41] [42] [43] [44]

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Varg Vikernes</span> Norwegian murderer and musician (born 1973)

Louis Cachet, better known as Varg Vikernes, is a Norwegian musician and author best known for his early black metal albums and later crimes. His first five records, released under the name Burzum from 1992 to 1996, made him one of the most influential figures in the early Norwegian black metal scene. He was convicted of murder and arson in 1994 and sentenced to 21 years in prison, being released after serving 15 years.

The early Norwegian black metal scene of the 1990s is credited with creating the modern black metal genre and produced some of the most acclaimed and influential artists in extreme metal. It attracted massive media attention when it was revealed that its members had been responsible for three murders, a suicide, and a wave of church burnings in Norway.

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John Leonard Orr is an American convicted serial arsonist, mass murderer and former firefighter. A fire captain and arson investigator in Glendale, California, Orr was convicted of serial arson and four counts of murder; he is believed to have set nearly 2,000 fires in a thirty-year arson spree, most of them between 1984 and 1991, making him the most prolific serial arsonist in American history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Icove</span> American FBI Agent

David J. Icove is a former Federal Bureau of Investigation Criminal Profiler and FBI Academy Instructor in the elite Behavioral Analysis Unit. He was one of the FBI's first criminal profilers to specialize in the apprehension of serial arsonists and bombers. He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Forensic Engineers and co-author, along with Gerald A. Haynes, of Kirk's Fire Investigation, the leading textbook in the field of fire investigation.

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Attacks against places of worship in Malaysia were carried out in January 2010 in response to Malaysia v. The Herald, a controversial court decision holding government regulations prohibiting non-Muslim publications from using the word 'Allah' to be unconstitutional. The government and many religious leaders condemned the attacks and called for calm and unity among Malaysians. The police are conducting investigations into the attacks and several arrests and prosecutions have been made.

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The Macedonia Baptist Church is a centuries-old historically black church located in rural Clarendon County, South Carolina. It was destroyed by arsonists following direction from the local Ku Klux Klan chapter known as the Christian Knights of the Ku Klux Klan and was later rebuilt afterwards. Four Klansmen were convicted for the crime, and a subsequent civil suit effectively closed the Klan chapter's operation in the county. The successful civil suit was called a "wake-up call" indicating that racial violence would not be tolerated.

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Three Louisiana black churches were set alight by a suspected arsonist between March 26 and April 4, 2019. The first fire occurred at St. Mary Baptist Church in Port Barre on March 26. Ten days later, two other historic black churches, Greater Union Baptist Church and Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Opelousas, Louisiana, were also set on fire—on April 2 and April 4 respectively. The suspect used gasoline at each church, destroying them completely.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bohumín arson attack</span> Fire in Czech Republic

The Bohumín arson attack took place on 8 August 2020 at an apartment building on Nerudova Street in the town of Bohumín, roughly 300 km north-east of Prague, Czech Republic. Eleven people were killed and fifteen were injured. Police arrested 54-year-old arsonist Zdeněk Konopka in front of the building. The perpetrator, who had four prior criminal convictions, admitted to pouring 8 liters of gasoline into plastic bottles at a nearby petrol station and going to his son's flat. It was bustling with people who were celebrating a birthday party to which the perpetrator was not invited. He poured the gasoline in the hallway within the flat and then onto the entrance doors and set it ablaze. This led to the extremely fast spread of the fire throughout the flat with no escape route possible.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suffragette bombing and arson campaign</span> 1912–14 campaign orchestrated by British suffragettes

Suffragettes in Great Britain and Ireland orchestrated a bombing and arson campaign between the years 1912 and 1914. The campaign was instigated by the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU), and was a part of their wider campaign for women's suffrage. The campaign, led by key WSPU figures such as Emmeline Pankhurst, targeted infrastructure, government, churches and the general public, and saw the use of improvised explosive devices, arson, letter bombs, assassination attempts and other forms of direct action and violence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Canadian church burnings</span> Series of arsons and fires in Canadian churches

A series of church arsons and suspicious fires in June and July 2021 damaged or destroyed Christian churches in Canada. Coincident with fires, vandalism and other destructive events damaged churches in Canada, primarily in British Columbia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arson damage during the George Floyd protests in Minneapolis–Saint Paul</span>

The FBI and ATF tracked 164 structure fires from arson that occurred May 27–30, 2020, during the George Floyd protests in Minneapolis–Saint Paul. Rioters started fires by igniting flammable materials within or next to buildings and in some cases by deploying Molotov cocktails. Property locations were damaged by spreading flames, heat, and smoke, and by suppressant waters from fire hoses and fire sprinkler systems. Many of the impacted structures suffered heavy damage or were destroyed, with some being reduced to piles of rubble after collapsing.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Booth, William. "In Church Fires, a Pattern but No Conspiracy". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 29 August 2000. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  2. 1 2 "National Church Arson Task Force". The United States Department of Justice. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
  3. ↑ Hui, Jonathan. "History of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF)". EdLab . Teachers College, Columbia University. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  4. ↑ "'Haunted house on the hill': Rachel Griffiths describes abuse history at destroyed church". www.abc.net.au. 2015-03-30. Retrieved 2021-06-30.
  5. ↑ "Victoria police probe church fires". BBC News. 2015-04-01. Retrieved 2021-06-30.
  6. ↑ "Arson suspected in Halloween blaze at historic church". CBC News. 2001-11-02. Retrieved 2021-06-30.
  7. ↑ "Holy jigsaw puzzle: After a fire gutted a historic church, N.S. town began an incredible reconstruction". nationalpost. Retrieved 2021-06-30.
  8. ↑ "Merritt man arrested in connection to string of church arsons". Global News. Retrieved 2021-06-30.
  9. ↑ Jake Courtepatte. "Suspected church arsonist pleads guilty". Merritt Herald.{{cite web}}: Text "date-July 26, 2021" ignored (help)
  10. ↑ "Anger at ex-priest's abuse may be tied to church fires, cleric says". lfpress. Retrieved 2021-06-30.
  11. ↑ "Two more Catholic churches burn down on Indigenous land in southern B.C." vancouversun. Retrieved 2021-06-30.
  12. 1 2 "5th church fire on B.C. First Nations reserve, say RCMP". British Columbia. 2021-06-27. Retrieved 2021-06-28.
  13. ↑ "'It's a criminal act': Prominent B.C. Interior Indigenous leader condemns church fires". Global News. Retrieved 2021-06-28.
  14. ↑ Thompson, Elizabeth (July 2, 2021). "'Unacceptable and wrong': Trudeau condemns attacks on churches". CBC.ca . Retrieved July 4, 2021.
  15. ↑ Little, Simon (July 4, 2021). "Head of B.C. civil liberties group under fire over 'burn it all down' tweet". Global News . Retrieved July 10, 2021.
  16. ↑ "3 Chile churches firebombed days before Pope Francis visit". ABC. January 12, 2018. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  17. ↑ "Pope shocks Chile by accusing sex abuse victims of slander". Associated Press. 19 January 2018. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  18. ↑ "Chile churches attacked before Pope Francis visit". BBC. 12 January 2018. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  19. ↑ Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "Refworld | Politics by Other Means: Attacks Against Christians in India". Refworld. Retrieved 2020-04-08.
  20. ↑ "Churches burnt as anti-Christian violence hits eastern India". the Guardian. 2008-09-01. Retrieved 2020-04-14.
  21. ↑ "Church Gutted in East Delhi, Police Say Arson". NDTV.com. Retrieved 2021-06-30.
  22. ↑ "Christians protest over church fire". 2 December 2014 – via www.bbc.com.
  23. ↑ "Charlie Hebdo: Niger protesters torched 45 churches - police". BBC. 19 Jan 2015.
  24. ↑ Dregni, Eric (2008-09-22). In Cod We Trust, By Eric Dregni. p.185. ISBN   9780816656233 . Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  25. 1 2 Chris Campion (21 February 2005). "In the face of death". London: Guardian. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  26. ↑ "Ute av fengsel". Dagbladet.no (in Norwegian). 22 May 2009. Archived from the original on 25 May 2009. Retrieved 23 May 2009.
  27. ↑ "Over 100 arrested, probe ordered in attacks on churches and homes of Christians in Pakistan". The Economic Times. August 17, 2023.
  28. ↑ Wright, George (August 16, 2023). "Pakistan: Mob burns churches over blasphemy claims". BBC News.
  29. ↑ "St Mary's Church, Putney - History of St Mary's". Official website. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  30. ↑ Dargue, William. "A History of Birmingham Churches: St Bartholomew Allen's Cross". jimdo.com. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  31. 1 2 "Reports and Curricula". The Leadership Conference. The Leadership Conference Education Fund. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  32. ↑ "S. 1890 (104th): Church Arson Prevention Act of 1996". GovTrack.us. Civic Impulse, LLC. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  33. 1 2 "H.R. 3525 (104th): Church Arson Prevention Act of 1996". GovTrack.us. Civic Impulse, LLC. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  34. ↑ "Civil Rights Monitor". The Leadership Conference. The Leadership Conference Education Fund. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  35. ↑ Slevin, Peter; Cannon, Angie. "Church Arsons Were Not A Racist Conspiracy, Panel Concludes Motives Ranged From Profit To Revenge, The Task Force Said. Incidents Are On The Rise, Except At Black Churches. Many Cases Are Unsolved". Philly.com. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  36. ↑ "National Church Arson Task Force First Year Report for the President, June 1997 · Clinton Digital Library". clinton.presidentiallibraries.us. Retrieved 2021-06-30.
  37. ↑ "NATIONAL CHURCH ARSON TASK FORCE ISSUES THIRD REPORT Arsons at Houses of Worship Continues to Decline". U.S. Department of Treasury. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  38. ↑ "Arson". Insurance Information Institute. Insurance Information Institute, Inc. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  39. ↑ "Report: Arson Rarely the Cause of Southern Church Fires". Insurance Journal. 12 Jul 2015.
  40. ↑ "String of Nighttime Fires Hit Predominately Black Churches in Four Southern States". SPLC Hatewatch. 26 June 2015.
  41. ↑ "Fire at east Charlotte church ruled arson". WCNC.com. Archived from the original on 2015-06-25. Retrieved 2015-06-29.
  42. ↑ "Following the Attack on Emanuel AME, Two Recent Fires at Black Churches Strike at the Heart of Black America". Atlanta Black Star. 26 June 2015.
  43. ↑ ABC News. "Authorities Investigate Fire That Destroyed Black SC Church". ABC News.
  44. ↑ "FBI investigating as six black churches burn down in seven days". The Independent. 29 June 2015.
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