Report Reveals Surge in Hate Crimes Against Christians in Europe

A recent report from a European watchdog group has documented nearly 2,500 instances of hate crimes targeting Christians across Europe, with approximately 1,000 of these incidents occurring in France. 

The findings, published by the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe (OIDAC), are based on data from both police records and civil society organizations.

Between 2023 and 2024, the report identified 2,444 cases of anti-Christian hate crimes, discrimination and acts of intolerance across 35 European countries.  Among the incidents, 232 involved direct personal attacks, including harassment, threats, and physical assaults against Christians.

France, the United Kingdom, and Germany were the countries most impacted by anti-Christian hate crimes in 2023. France, among those hardest hit, accounted for nearly 1,000 of the incidents. According to the report titled “Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe,” 90 percent of the attacks in France targeted churches or cemeteries, while approximately 84 cases involved personal attacks against individuals. 

Beyond physical assaults, data from the French Religious Heritage Observatory revealed eight confirmed cases of arson against churches in France in 2023, with an additional 14 such attacks recorded in the first 10 months of 2024. Some of these incidents involved crude improvised firebombs popularly known as “Molotov cocktails.”

Religious communities also reported experiencing harassment. Notably, two nuns in the northwestern city of Nantes announced in 2023 that they were leaving the area due to “constant hostility and insecurity.” The report detailed that the nuns had endured “beatings, spitting, and insults,” underscoring the growing challenges faced by Christian communities.

Following France, the United Kingdom reported 702 anti-Christian hate crimes in 2023, reflecting a 15-percent rise from the previous year, according to the report. Among these incidents were cases of Christians being prosecuted for silent prayer within the country’s so-called “buffer zones.” One such case involved Adam Smith-Connor, who was convicted for praying outside an abortion clinic. 

In Germany, the third most affected country, official government data recorded 277 “politically motivated hate crimes” against Christians in 2023—an alarming 105-percent increase from the 103 cases reported the previous year.

Additionally, OIDAC estimated that “at least 2,000 cases of property damage to Christian places of worship” occurred in 2023, highlighting the scale of the attacks.

According to OIDAC Europe, 69 documented cases provided sufficient information to determine the motives and backgrounds of the perpetrators. Of these, 21 were driven by a radical Islamist agenda, 14 stemmed from general anti-religious sentiment, 13 were linked to far-left political motives, and 12 were connected to the war in Ukraine. 

The report highlighted that these numbers remained consistent with 2022 figures, except for cases with an Islamist background, which increased from 11 to 21.

In addition to physical attacks, the OIDAC report highlighted a growing trend of workplace and public discrimination, contributing to increased self-censorship among individuals practicing their faith. 

A U.K.-based study cited in the report, conducted in June, revealed that 56 percent of 1,562 respondents had “experienced hostility and ridicule when discussing their religious beliefs.” This figure reflected a sharp 61-percent increase among those under the age of 35. Furthermore, 18 percent of respondents reported encountering discrimination, with younger individuals disproportionately affected. 

Over 280 participants in the survey expressed feeling disadvantaged specifically because of their religious beliefs, underscoring the challenges faced by Christians in openly practicing their faith.

The report highlighted personal testimonies about increasing workplace bias against Christians. “I was bullied at my workplace and made to feel inferior, despite being highly successful in other settings, until I eventually left,” shared one female respondent in her late 40s as part of the survey. Similarly, a male respondent in his mid-to-late 50s remarked: “Any mention of faith on a CV prevents you from getting an interview. My annual performance review was downgraded because I spoke about Christ.” 

The report noted that much of the discrimination stems from the “expression of religious beliefs about societal issues.” However, in the U.K., such incidents have expanded beyond public settings to include private conversations and posts shared on personal social media accounts.

The report also cited the case of Kristie Higgs, a mother of two and former pastoral assistant, who was dismissed from her job after sharing a private Facebook post expressing “concerns about the promotion of transgenderism in sex education lessons at her son’s primary school.” 

Speaking after her October hearing at the Court of Appeals, Higgs reflected on the broader implications of her case. “I am not alone in being treated this way,” she stated, pointing out that “many others here to support me today have faced similar consequences.”

“This is not just about me,” Higgs added. “It cannot be right that so many Christians are losing their jobs or facing disciplinary action for sharing biblical truth and our Christian beliefs.”

The report cited two cases of government intrusion into Catholic religious practices. In France, a secular civil court ruled against the Vatican’s internal canonical procedures in a case involving the dismissal of a French nun from her order. In response, the Vatican sent a formal letter to the French Embassy, condemning the ruling as “a serious violation of the fundamental rights of religious freedom and freedom of association of the Catholic faithful.” 

In Belgium, two bishops were convicted and ordered to pay financial compensation after they declined to admit a woman into a diaconate training program. The report highlighted that this decision contradicted human rights laws, which safeguard the right of religious institutions, including the Catholic Church, to make independent decisions on matters such as the ordination of clergy without state interference.

The report concluded by emphasizing that because “freedom of thought, conscience, and religion is a cornerstone for free and democratic societies, we hope that states will not compromise on the protection of these fundamental rights, and thus ensure an open and peaceful climate in our societies.”

The OIDAC report offers a range of recommendations directed at European governments, human rights organizations, the European Union, media representatives, other influential voices, and Christian churches and individuals.

These recommendations advocate for the protection of freedom of expression, increased attention to incidents of intolerance and discrimination against Christians, the elimination of anti-Christian rhetoric in public discourse, and active participation by people of faith in fostering dialogue between religious and secular communities.

Photo credits: Prayer by Long Thiên. CC BY-SA 2.0.