The Saint-Denys basilica in Argenteuil, France, was vandalised several times and two young people who shouted ‘Allah Akbar’ there were arrested

Wikimedia Commons, BastienM, CC-BY-SA-3.0

It all started in September last year. During a visit to the basilica, the vicar discovers a first tag, a penis drawn on the presbytery. No author is found, only a factual report. But the vandalism increases, to the point of damaging a valuable wooden Latin cross, the vertical part of which is torn off and then stolen. A few days later, excrement is found in one of the chapels of the basilica. But each time the perpetrator disappears…

Presentation of the Holy Tunic.Wikimedia Commons, Claude PIARD,CC-BY-SA-4.0

Ten days ago, two young people aged 14 and 16 were caught by the sexton shouting ‘Allah Akbar’, a phrase from Islam that means ‘Allah is great’. They were arrested and taken into police custody. These riots caused concern among the basilica’s faithful, especially as the building houses the Holy Tunic, a sacred relic of Christianity, which will be put on display again next March. Several tens of thousands of believers are expected to attend this event.

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