Children's shop run by UOC parishioner attacked in Zolochiv

The facade of a children's shop in Zolochiv. Photo: UOJ

On the night of August 15, 2020, in Zolochiv, Lviv region, unknown persons attacked a children's shop belonging to a parishioner of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Representatives of the local community of the UOC reported the incident to the UOJ, providing photographs from the scene of the incident.

In the morning, the owner of the children's goods shop discovered a broken signboard and the inscription "a sponsor of the ROC", which unknown persons had made in red paint on the facade of the building.

In addition, as it became known to the UOJ, the owner of the premises, which the UOC believer rented for his shop, demanded to vacate the building.

As reported earlier, in July 2020, the persecution of believers and the priest of the UOC, Priest Maksim Yoenko, whom representatives of the UGCC and local authorities accused of illegal construction of a church on its private territory without proof, began in Zolochiv, Lviv region. The gates of the cleric of the Lviv Eparchy of the UOC were painted with insults and Nazi symbols, a veche against the UOC was held next to his house, and the priest himself and his family were offered to leave the city.

On August 6, local masked activists with hammers destroyed the fence around the priest's house - the Lviv National Corps claimed responsibility for the attack.

After the radicals attacked the clergy's house in Zolochiv, UOC believers asked for financial assistance to install a new fence, gates and additional video surveillance cameras.

At present, as Priest Maxim told the UOJ, the destroyed fence cannot be restored due to the continuing acts of vandalism – as soon as the fence is repaired, those who break it again immediately appear.

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