LONDON, October 20, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – A video of a young man caught brazenly tearing down a large cross in front of a London church in broad daylight has gone viral, adding to the evidence that Christianity and Church property are increasingly under assault around the globe. The Oct. 18 video has already garnered over 3 million views on Twitter alone.
The video shows the man standing on the roof above the entrance of Chadwell Heath Baptist Church, struggling to dislodge the large cross as cars speed past on the busy urban street.
After the video was posted on Twitter, the local police department was quick to explain: “We are aware of a video circulating on social media of a male causing damage to a religious premises on high Road, Chadwell Heath. A male has been arrested and the matter is being investigated.”
The 19–year-old man was charged with “religiously aggravated criminal damage.”
The church’s minister, Rev. James Thomas, ascertained that the young man was “not at all mentally very well.”
“We are a Christian country and our culture is under assault,” tweeted Nigel Farage, a former member of the European Parliament who led the UK Brexit movement.
“Our archbishops are complaining about Brexit yet say nothing about the desecration of a London church,” added Farage.
We are a Christian country and our culture is under assault.
Our archbishops are complaining about Brexit yet say nothing about the desecration of a London church.
The young man’s action echoes other recent destructive acts against Christian churches and symbols of faith around the world, including the eerily similar recent toppling of a statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe outside the entrance of a Catholic church in the Diocese of Brooklyn, New York.
A statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe was vandalized at Shrine Church of Our Lady of Solace. Praying for the church, as parishioners come together to raise funds to repair the statue important to the whole #ConeyIsland community. @TabletNewspaper https://t.co/aBkhpnClbF