Two charged with painting antisemitic graffiti on New Zealand “Pink Church”

Two men, aged twenty and 21, have been charged with painting antisemitic and homophobic graffiti on a church in Greymouth, New Zealand.

The words “synagog [sic] of satan” were sprayed under a Star of David, alongside the words “Christ is risen” next to a Russian Orthodox cross, and “Leviticus 20:13”, a reference to a Biblical verse that is often used to give discrimination against homosexuals a religious justification.

The “Pink Church”, officially known as Gloria of Greymouth but which used to be known as St Peter’s Anglican Church, was designed by Jewish poet and artist Sam Duckor-Jones as a “queer place of worship” and an “immersive sculpture” in the former mining town.

In an Instagram post, the Church stated that “The Greymouth community responded beautifully, with love, support & outrage,” adding that “The Greymouth police moved quickly, taking this act of hate seriously.”

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