Vandals knock over nearly 900 tombstones in Kerava
Satanists possibly behind desecration
Vandals went wild at a cemetery in Kerava, north of Helsinki, on Thursday night. During the late hours, 889 tombstones were knocked over. In addition, crosses were pulled out of the ground and many were turned upside-down. The modus operandi suggested that Satan worship may have been involved.
Police are investigating whether or not the action may have been linked with vandalism that took place in the same graveyard last summer.
"Tombstones were toppled systematically. Probably several people were involved in it", says Pekka Heikkinen of the Central Uusimaa Police.
The Kerava cemetery covers 18 hectares, and has nearly 4,000 graves.
The vandals had been active in an area covering several hectares. In some parts of the cemetery, all stones that could be turned over were toppled. Only the heaviest monuments, weighing a ton or more, were left standing.
Employees of the Kerava Lutheran Parish began putting the tombstones back up on Friday afternoon. According to parish gardener Minna Aho, about 200 tombstones had been damaged in some way.
Most of the monuments were lifted back up on Friday. The congregation is paying for the costs of raising the fallen tombstones. Repairs of any damage to the memorials will be paid by the next of kin of the deceased. Some of the costs may be covered by insurance.
The Kerava Parish has said that it will contact the next of kin of all of the deceased whose memorials were damaged. The parish is also prepared to offer crisis counselling.
The incident at the Kerava cemetery is a repetition of a similar crime that took place almost a year ago. However, this time, the desecration was more extensive.
In July of last year 354 tombstones were toppled at the graveyard.
On the same night, 160 tombstones were pushed over at a cemetery in the eastern city of Joensuu.
In the summer of 1998 about 1,000 tombstones were pushed over at the Lieksa cemetery. However, Friday's incident in Kerava is believed to be the most extensive single such event
Helsingin Sanomat
|
| 25.4.2005 - TODAY |
 Vandals knock over nearly 900 tombstones in Kerava |
|
