Vandali senza tregua: il presepe di Cornate colpito da un gesto inqualificabile

I vandals are relentless on the life-size nativity scene in Cornate. Last night, on Friday, December 15, 2023, unknown individuals decapitated one of the mannequins and hung the head in the village well. “Gestures like this make us lose the desire to continue this tradition,” bitterly commented the volunteers who are responsible for setting up the nativity scene every year.
An unspeakable act
An unspeakable act, which unfortunately is not new in Cornate (in 2021, Baby Jesus was even stolen from the Nativity scene), but which always triggers anger and indignation. Last night, on Friday, some unknown individuals targeted the life-size nativity scene installed in front of the parish church of San Giorgio Martire. A masterpiece created annually by volunteers, determined to embellish Christmas for many people in Cornate. However, someone thought it would be a good idea to ruin it by attacking one of the mannequins used to compose the scene. In particular, the woman who retrieves water from the well was vandalized:
“She was decapitated and the mannequin’s head was hung on the winch used to retrieve water from the well,” explains Piergiulio Brivio, one of the volunteers who has been involved in setting up the nativity scene for many years. “A truly ugly image, not only for those like me who are believers and attribute a special meaning to the nativity scene. In the past few days, we had already found the mannequin’s head thrown into the well, but we thought and hoped it was just a prank… Instead, today we are faced with a much more cruel scene.”
The intervention of a passerby
The decapitated mannequin was noticed by a passerby, who promptly fixed the scene and reported the incident to the nativity scene volunteers. They then reported the incident to the local police in Cornate, although the prevailing feeling the next day is still bitterness.
“I would like to meet whoever committed this act and simply ask them: why?” concludes Brivio. “Honestly, I don’t understand the meaning of attacking something so beautiful and symbolic for the entire community. All I know is that when things like this happen, you feel like giving up everything…”