Church defaced with anti-refugee graffiti, Jewish star

A spray-painted message with an anti-refugee message appeared on the Norderlicht church in Wezep, Gelderland sometime between the late night house of Wednesday or early morning hours of Monday. The entryway wall was defaced with the phrase “Nee AZC,” or “No asylum-seeker center,” above the Jewish Star of David symbol. On Thursday the church is scheduled to host an information evening about an expected arrival of refugees. Similar slogans papered at the town hall parking lot, Oldebroek PvdA leader Bert-Jan Dokter told AD. On Wednesday, the windows of three vacant houses in Enschede, about 80 kilometers southeast of Wezep, were barricaded with two large banners protesting the establishment of refugee centres were erected, AD reported. Enschede Alderman Jurgen van Houdt suggested nine vacant homes in the Dolphia neighbourhood of that city could house refugees. On Thursday, European Commissioner Frans Timmermans expressed concern that ineffectual handling of the refugee crisis could lead to a rise in right-wing extremism.