A European watchdog has warned of serious anti-Christian violence in Europe and called on governments to protect converts from Islam in particular. Source: CNA.
The report was released on the occasion of the International Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Violence Based on Religion or Belief, which was marked yesterday.
The Vienna-based Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe (OIDAC Europe) has reported an increase in anti-Christian hate crimes by 44 per cent.
Though the OIDAC Europe 2022/23 Annual Report reports the majority of the 749 cases of anti-Christian hate crimes were acts of vandalism or arson, the religious freedom watchdog noted a marked increase in violent attacks against individual people.
OIDAC Europe executive director Anja Hoffmann said the rising threats against Christians across Europe are alarming and should not be overlooked.
Since the beginning of 2024, OIDAC Europe has documented 25 cases of violence, threats and attempted murder against Christians in Great Britain, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, Poland and Serbia.
In some cases, entire communities have been attacked.
In June, there was an attack on a Seventh-day Adventist congregation in Dijon, in eastern France, during a church service. The tear gas attack sparked panic and left nine people injured, the watchdog’s statement said.
Ms Hoffmann also highlighted the need to protect and support Christian converts from Islam who are viewed as “apostates”.
She called on European governments to act: “The right to convert is an essential element of religious freedom. European governments must therefore do everything in their power to protect Christian converts with a Muslim background in particular, who are at high risk.”
Meanwhile, the German Bishops Conference yesterday deplored the steady increase of violence against Christians and people of other faiths.
Bishop Bertram Meier of Augsburg in Bavaria, chairman of the German bishops’ Commission for the Universal Church, said governments and religious communities have to take on more responsibility and work together to curb the rise of religious violence.
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EU watchdog reports alarming rise in Christian persecution, calls for protections (By Kristina Millare, CNA)
