A church in Vienna appears full of graffiti in Arabic and Syrian tribal codes and not even the Church says anything
The walls of the church of St. John the Evangelist in Vienna show praises to Allah and the codes 505 and 515. Neither the institutions, nor the Church, nor the media react.
Image of the vandalised church
Adem Hüyük
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In the early hours of 20 December, Unknown individuals covered the façade of the Church of Saint John the Evangelist with Arabic graffiti., located in Vienna's Favoriten district. The attack was repeated the following night. The inscriptions covered large areas of the outer wall, perfectly visible from the street.
Neither information nor reaction
A week later there is no official statement or any information in the main Austrian media. The only outlet that has documented the vandalism and published photographs is the portal. The Comma, directed by the Viennese journalist of Turkish origin Adem Hüyük:
After this first publication, cNeither a general-interest daily newspaper, nor any national television or radio station reported on the events.. Nor was there any statement from the Diocese of Vienna, the archdiocese, or any municipal or state authority. The case did not generate any public statement, institutional condemnation or announcement of any action., despite the graffiti remaining visible in public spaces and the codes used being linked to Syrian gangs involved in recent episodes of urban violence.
Graffiti in Arabic and the tribal codes 505 and 515
The graffiti cover a significant part of the church's exterior façade and combine texts in the Arabic alphabet with words in the Latin alphabet and numerals. Among the inscriptions one can read a religious invocation—“Oh Allah, protect”—written in broad, clearly visible script.. Also appearing are several names preceded by the English word “Free”, specifically “Free Askan” or “Free Askar” and “Free Sisi”. In another section of the wall you can read the name “Daraa”, which corresponds to a city in southern Syria.
In addition to the text, the graffiti include the numeric codes 505 and 515, written prominently. The 505 code originates in eastern Syria and is associated with the Al-Aqidat clan from the Deir ez-Zor region, where it serves as a tribal identity marker.In Europe, this number has become an identifier used by gangs of Syrian youths. Code 515 has been linked to Syrian groups associated with a branch of the Banu Hashim clan.. Both the 505 and the 515 are known to the Austrian and German police because they have repeatedly appeared in contexts of urban violence.
An expensive repair not covered by insurance
What now concerns the rector is the repair of the material damage. The church façade requires a special paint that can only be prepared and applied by a specialist, as it is not a conventional finish. This part of the restoration is technically feasible but comes at a high cost. The situation is more complex at the base of the building, where the paint splatters affect natural stone slabs.
Sandblasting, a common method for removing graffiti, is not viable because it could irreversibly damage the stone. The alternative is the so-called dry ice or cryogenic cleaning procedure, which involves applying nitrogen at around –20 degrees Celsius to remove the paint without damaging the material. This system is much more expensive. Since there is no insurance that covers this type of vandalism, The parish must assume all the expenses in full..
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