The three-language memorial plaque at the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Arad was destroyed overnight from Sunday to Monday. The plaque, which was inscribed in Romanian, Hungarian, and English, was made of marble and featured a cross engraving at the top. It was broken into pieces, and the remnants were defaced with a toy snake. Pastor István Jakab, who reported the incident to the police, believes the act was motivated by xenophobia. This is not the first act of vandalism at the church; a bronze plaque was previously stolen by metal thieves. Jakab suspects the recent attack could be linked to the rise of extreme nationalist parties in Arad, especially after the December parliamentary elections, which saw a strong showing from parties promoting far-right, anti-social rhetoric. The police have initiated a criminal investigation for vandalism, though they have not yet reviewed any security footage from nearby cameras.
Source: Krónikaonline.ro (https://kronikaonline.ro/erdelyi-hirek/osszetortek-az-aradi-evangelikus-lutheranus-templom-haromnyelvu-emlektablajat)