A Catholic priest who smeared a mixture of red paint and his own blood on an Israeli monument may find himself in trouble with the law, as well as the church.
Father Gerard Burns defaced the Wellington monument to assassinated Israel Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin during a protest on Tuesday.
David Zwartz of the New Zealand Jewish Council has made a complaint to the police who had not intervened as Father Burns carried out his protest.
“The idea that anything is going to be advanced by defacing a monument to peace is just out of this world. I think the person who did it is really just a childish exhibitionist,” he says.
“I am asking that Father Burns be dealt with under the law because he has broken the law and that is the same as any tagger or person who does graffiti in a public place.”
Today, Father Burns could not be reached for comment but the Archbishop of Wellington released a statement on behalf of the Catholic Church.
“Father burns was acting on his own initiative and did not carry out his protest as a representative of the Catholic Church in New Zealand. He did not consult with me or any other bishops… I offer an apology for Father Burns.”
Police are investigating the incident and say they took no action to stop Father Burns at the protest in the interest of public safety.
3 News