There have been 2,444 anti-Christian hate crimes in 35 European international locations final 12 months, with the UK among the many highest, a brand new report has discovered.
The vast majority of incidents have been acts of vandalism towards church buildings (62%), adopted by desecration of Christian websites (24%), arson (10%), threats (8%) and bodily violence (7%).
A report by the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination towards Christians in Europe (OIDAC) highlighted a knife assault in Spain wherein a priest died, a automotive assault on a Corpus Christi procession in Poland and an tried homicide of a Muslim convert to Christianity in Nice Britain.
The UK had the second-highest variety of incidents in 2023 – over 700 – after France, which noticed virtually a thousand final 12 months.
The report expresses concern about discrimination towards Christians within the office and in public life in some European international locations, and sees this development as one of many causes for “rising self-censorship” amongst Christians in Europe.
It cites the findings of a 2024 research by Voice for Justice UK, which discovered that solely a 3rd (36%) of Christians below the age of 35 within the UK have the liberty to specific their Christian views on social points at work.
OIDAC stated the British prosecution of pro-lifers Adam Smith-Connor and Isabel Vaughan-Spruce for silently praying in an abortion clinic buffer zone was “notably surprising”.
Anja Hoffmann, Govt Director of OIDAC Europe, commented on the findings: “Christians of conventional non secular beliefs specifically face rising discrimination and hostility, from bullying at work to job loss.
“It’s deeply troubling that the peaceable expression of private non secular beliefs, comparable to in issues referring to marriage and household, has turn out to be the potential finish of a political profession or employment, and even the start of a lawsuit.”
Germany ranked third highest after France and the UK, rising from 135 incidents in 2022 to 277 final 12 months – a 105% enhance.
The report relies on information reported by European governments to the Group for Safety and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in 2023, in addition to examples reported by civil society.
Hoffmann stated it’s doubtless that the true variety of anti-Christian hate crimes is way larger as a result of a number of international locations, together with France, didn’t submit statistics to the OSCE final 12 months.
Professor Regina Polak, OSCE Consultant on Combating Racism, Xenophobia and Discrimination, stated: “Hate crimes towards Christians ship a message of exclusion to victims and their communities and society as an entire.
“Even in Europe we are able to observe a rise in discrimination and hate crimes towards Christians.
“These phenomena should even be seen within the broader context of intolerance and discrimination towards different teams and particularly towards members of non secular communities, each minority and majority.”
The report requires the creation of an EU coordinator function to struggle anti-Christian hatred on a par with current mandates to struggle anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim hatred.
Professor Polak stated the rise in discrimination and hate crimes towards Christians in Europe “must be taken extra critically by governments and civil society and requires in-depth analysis to grasp its particular nature and causes”.
