2021 Canadian church fires
Charred remains of Sacred Heart Mission, Penticton
LocationBritish Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories, and Nova Scotia, Canada
Date () 21 June – 8 July 2021 (2021-06-21 – 2021-07-08)
TargetCatholic, Anglican, and Coptic Orthodox churches buildings
Attack type
Arson, vandalism
Deaths0
Injured0
PerpetratorsSeveral
MotiveUnknown, suspected response to the May 2021 discovery of probable Canadian Indian residential school gravesites[1][2]
ConvictedKathleen Panek (14 July St. George Coptic church fire)[3]

A series of vandalizations, church arsons, and suspicious fires in June and July 2021 desecrated, damaged, or destroyed 68 Christian churches in Canada. Coincident with fires, vandalism and other destructive events damaged churches in Canada and the United States, primarily in British Columbia.[4] Of these, 25 were the results of fires of all causes. Canadian government officials, church members, and Canadian First Nations leaders have speculated that the fires and other acts of vandalism have been reactions to the reported discovery of over 1,000 unmarked graves at Canadian Indian residential school sites in May 2021.

Church burnings and defacing

St. Jean Baptiste Church in Morinville, Alberta was among the fires, burning completely on June 30.[5]

On June 21, 2021, two Catholic church buildings in British Columbia were destroyed in fires. Sacred Heart Mission Church of Penticton[6] and St. Gregory Mission Church on Osoyoos land[7] were a 40-minute distance from one another.[8] On June 26, another two British Columbian Catholic churches–St. Ann's on Chuchuwayha land and Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church serving Chopaka–were also destroyed by fires declared "suspicious" by police.[9][5] A fire at an Anglican church was also discovered that day, but it was extinguished with minimal damage.[6] On June 28, Siksika Nation's Catholic church in Alberta was damaged and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) launched an investigation into its cause.[8] St. Kateri Tekakwitha Church in Indian Brook, Nova Scotia, suffered a fire causing damage to the building on June 30, 2021.[5]

Two fires on the night of July 1–2 destroyed a Anglican church on native land and damaged another. The fire that destroyed the abandoned 108-year-old St. Paul's Anglican Church of New Hazelton, British Columbia, was the second suspicious fire at that church in a week; a smaller fire had damaged a door.[10] Authorities worried the flames could spark additional wildfires.[11] The second fire, also in British Columbia, did significant damage to a portion of the St. Columba Anglican Church in Tofino.[11] A RCMP investigation was launched shortly after what police initially determined to be an "incendiary device" was thrown through the window of St. Patrick Co-Cathedral in Yellowknife, resulting in moderate damage.[12] Another Catholic church in Peace River suffered minor damage on July 3; the RCMP confirmed the cause was arson.[13]

The Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church in Redberry Lake burned to the ground on the afternoon of July 8; this fire was also called "suspicious" by the RCMP.[14] On July 9, the Our Lady of Mercy Roman Catholic Church was destroyed by arson. The church was located in the Kehewin Cree Nation, south of Bonnyville, and was slated for demolition.[15]

After being attacked in an attempted arson on July 14, the Coptic Orthodox Church of St. George in Surrey was destroyed by a fire in the early morning hours of July 19. No injuries were reported and the RCMP published images of a suspect.[16] One woman was later convicted and sentenced to jail time for the attempted July 14 arson, though from her arrest through her trial, no evidence was presented that connected the attempted arson to the discovery of remains around for residential school sites.[3][17]

United States

Holy Ghost Catholic Church in Denver, Colorado, was graffitied on June 28 with "1323+..." painted on the building's exterior, which the Catholic News Agency tied to a June 25 report regarding the number of gravesites discovered up to that point.[18] In Portland, Oregon, four Catholic parishes were vandalized in June and July 2021. Among the damaged churches was St. Patrick Catholic Church, which was targeted several times by fires and graffiti bearing anti-colonialist slogans. While some of the vandalism has been tied directly to protests over the gravesites of Indian children at former Catholic-run residential schools, some of the damage has been speculated to be connected with the general rise of vandalism attacks in the Portland area following the COVID-19 pandemic.[19]

Reactions

Even after multiple investigations, no proof of any connections with native Americans have been found.

Condemnation

Chief Greg Gabriel of the Penticton Indian Band expressed "anger" at the fires, stating that any act of arson was "unacceptable."[6] Grand Chief Stewart Philip of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs and Chief Clarence Louie of the Osoyoos Indian Band denounced the fires, but said they were "not really surprising" following the discovery of unmarked graves at residential schools. Louie declared the fires "a criminal act" and "arson."[6][20] Grand Chief Arthur Noskey of the Treaty 8 First Nations of Alberta and Loon River First Nation said the churches needed protecting as "potential evidence sites" and that sites of former residential schools need to be protected.[21] Chief Keith Crow of the Lower Similkameen Indian Band (location of the Chopaka church) stated "I'm angry ... I don't see any positive coming from this and it's going to be tough."[22]

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney declared on June 30 that the Morinville fire "appears to have been a criminal act of hate inspired violence."[23] On July 2, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the vandalism and arson attacks targeting Canadian churches "wrong and unacceptable",[24] while later adding that the anger directed towards the church was "fully understandable" and "people have gone decades and even generations living with intergenerational trauma, with outcomes and institutional racism that has created extreme difficulties for Indigenous peoples across this country that are also the legacy of residential schools".[25]

Former chief Chastity Daniels of the Gitwangak First Nation condemned the July 1 fire at St. Paul's Anglican Church saying "it wasn't a Catholic church, it was an Anglican church and there's nothing but good memories in that church for our community."[11] A group of residential school survivors called for people to stop burning and defacing churches. Jenn Allan-Riley, a Sixties Scoop survivor and daughter of a residential school survivor, stated that "Burning down churches is not in solidarity with us Indigenous people" and "we do not destroy other people's places of worship".[26][27]

Support for the burnings

Harsha Walia, the executive director of the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association responded to reports of fires at indigenous Catholic parishes with a tweet on June 30 that read "burn it all down". Some members of the First Nations community criticized her but the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs expressed support for her without mentioning the controversial tweet.[28] She resigned as executive director of the BC Civil Liberties Association over the issue on July 16, 2021.[29]

References

  1. ↑ Ho, Solarina (5 July 2021). "'Not in solidarity with us': Indigenous leaders call for church arsons to stop". CTV News. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  2. ↑ "Woman who set fire to Surrey, B.C. church sentenced to 4 years in prison". 8 April 2022. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  3. 1 2 Takeuchi, Craig (30 August 2021). "Female suspect arrested and charged for fire that destroyed Surrey church". The Georgia Straight. Vancouver. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  4. ↑ Dzsurdzsa, Cosmin (23 August 2021). "A Map of Every Church Burnt or Vandalized Since the Residential School Announcments". tnc.news. True North Centre for Public Policy.
  5. 1 2 3 Burger, John. "More churches in Canada, and one in LA, burn." Aleteia, July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Rousselle, Christine; Bukuras, Joe (June 29, 2021). "Indigenous leaders condemn recent vandalism of churches in Canada". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  7. ↑ Jones, Kevin (June 24, 2021). "Police Investigate After Two Catholic Churches Burn on British Columbia Tribal Lands". National Catholic Register. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  8. 1 2 "Church fires are latest chapter in unmarked grave scandal". The Pillar. July 1, 2021. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  9. ↑ "More churches burn down on Canada indigenous land". BBC. June 26, 2021. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  10. ↑ "Minimal damage as suspicious fire probed at abandoned church in northwestern B.C." CBC News. June 28, 2021. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
  11. 1 2 3 "Overnight fires at 2 Anglican churches in B.C. deemed suspicious". CBC News. July 2, 2021. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
  12. ↑ Van Dusen, John (1 July 2021). "Police investigating 'suspicious fire' at Catholic church in Yellowknife". CBC. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  13. ↑ Naylor, Dave (July 9, 2021). "Another Catholic church set alight in Alberta". Western Standard. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  14. ↑ Shield, David (July 9, 2021). "Premier Moe 'saddened, deeply concerned' after church burns in Redberry Lake, Sask". CBC News. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  15. ↑ Lachacz, Adam (July 10, 2021). "Kehewin Cree Nation church destroyed by fire, youth charged by RCMP". CTV News. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  16. ↑ Takeuchi, Craig (July 19, 2021). "Surrey RCMP release image of female suspect after another B.C. church burns down". The Georgia Straight. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  17. ↑ Boynton, Sean (April 8, 2022). "Woman who set fire to Surrey, B.C. church sentenced to 4 years in prison". Global News. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
  18. ↑ "Historic Denver church vandalized, motive unclear". Denver: Catholic News Agency. 30 June 2021. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  19. ↑ Scott, Katie (19 July 2021). "UPDATED: Four Portland parishes vandalized". Catholic Sentinel. Portland, OR: Oregon Catholic Press. Archived from the original on 20 July 2021. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  20. ↑ Tom, Shelby (June 27, 2021). "'It's a criminal act': Prominent B.C. Interior Indigenous leader condemns church fires". Global News. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  21. ↑ Leavitt, Kieran (June 30, 2021). "Churches are burning. This First Nations grand chief wants to provide security for others: 'These are potential evidence sites'". Toronto Star. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  22. ↑ "More churches burn down on Canada indigenous land". BBC News. June 27, 2021. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  23. ↑ Wakefield, Jonny; Junker, Anna (July 1, 2021). "Reaction pours in after Morinville church razed in suspicious fire". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  24. ↑ Thompson, Elizabeth (July 2, 2021). "'Unacceptable and wrong': Trudeau condemns attacks on churches". CBC News. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
  25. ↑ Corbella, Licia (July 7, 2021). "Burning of churches is a crime and should be condemned by all leaders". Indian Country Today. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
  26. ↑ Azpiri, Jon (July 5, 2021). "'We do not destroy people's places of worship': Residential school survivors condemn attacks on churches". Global News. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
  27. ↑ Vikander, Tessa (July 5, 2021). "'Quit burning down churches': Indigenous minister pleads for an end to the church fires". CTV News. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
  28. ↑ Little, Simon (July 4, 2021). "Head of B.C. civil liberties group under fire over 'burn it all down' tweet". Global News. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
  29. ↑ The Canadian Press (16 July 2021). "B.C. Civil Liberties Association leader resigns after controversial social media post". CBC News. Archived from the original on 17 July 2021. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
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