Baby Jesus stolen from Christmas crib again

The figure was stolen early on Thursday morning according to sources in Santiago council who were quoted in local newspaper La Voz de Galicia.

Roban de nuevo al niño Jesús del belén de la praza do Obradoiro http://t.co/kRiuVh6sjv pic.twitter.com/q7Ql6usNIE

— La Voz de Galicia (@lavozdegalicia) December 17, 2014

A replacement baby Jesus is now back in his manger but the incident has brought back bitter memories of 2012, when that year’s ‘Niño Jesús’ was stolen by a group of protesters angry at the city’s eviction problem. The figure was discovered at an ATM five days later, safe and sound.  

At the unveiling of this year’s nativity scene, Santiago mayor Agustín Hernández was questioned about whether he would provide extra security for the oft-robbed crib, but he dismissed the option.

"We can’t send a police squad to watch over a nativity scene, we appeal to people’s social conscience," he said

Although the baby Jesus seems to be the most popular item to pinch, it was King Balthazar who was stolen from the nativity scene in 2013, making this the third year in a row that something has been stolen from Santiago de Compostela’s Christmas crib.