France: After Islamist slogans painted on Christian symbols, the Catholic clergy play down the incidents: “There is no need to pour oil on the fire”

Between December and February, four Calvaries in Saint-Pantaly-d’Excideuil and Cherveix-Cubas were daubed with graffiti. The inhabitants are wondering who is responsible for this damage while the gendarmerie carries out an investigation.

On the roadside in Saint-Pantaly-d’Excideuil, two Calvaries were sprayed with inscriptions referring to Islam. The same happened again in Cherveix-Cubas, where two other crosses were also targeted at the same time. In both villages, the residents do not understand what could be the reason for such an act. So far, no one has observed anything unusual, but they all hope that the perpetrator or perpetrators behind the inscriptions will be identified quickly.

In the hamlet of Vaures in Cherveix-Cubas, both the bus shelter and the Calvary were smeared with graffiti. The local authority has since removed the inscriptions. Around a dozen houses are situated on a hill, a place where everyone knows everyone else. “I wondered who could have done this,” says Bicquet when he discovers the damage. It wasn’t locals, but rather people travelling on the country road, I think”.

(…) “There’s no need to add fuel to the fire,” moderates Thierry Niquot, parish priest and administrator of this parish. It is not right to name potential ideological culprits who are members of the Muslim community, that must be avoided at all costs.”France Bleu

En Dordogne, les habitants choqués après la dégradation de 4 monuments chrétiens, tagués avec des inscriptions faisant référence à l’islam. “Il ne faut pas jeter de l’huile sur le feu et désigner de potentiels coupables idéaux”, tempère le prêtre (MàJ) – Fdesouche