The worst affected countries were France, the United Kingdom and Germany. France recorded nearly 1,000 incidents. In the UK, the number of anti-Christian hate crimes in England and Wales rose from 609 in 2022 to 702 in 2023, an increase of 15 per cent. (Figures for Scotland were not available.) The number of anti-Christian hate crimes in Germany more than doubled, from 135 incidents in 2022 to 277 in 2023. German police documented more than 2,000 cases of vandalism against Christian places of worship during the year. OIDAC Europe Executive Director Anja Hoffmann said the organisation assumes 'a high number' of cases went unreported.

These are actual crimes, much more than a few 'hurty words' uttered in the heat of the moment or blurted out on social media. Eight per cent of the incidents recorded were threats of violence and 7 per cent involved actual violence. Amongst the incidents of physical violence in 2023 were some horrific attacks.

These included a machete attack by an Islamic jihadist who had illegally entered Spain from Morocco which resulted in the murder of a Catholic altar server and the serious wounding of a 74-year-old priest. More than 100 people, including around 60 children, were targeted in a car ramming attack on a Corpus Christi procession in Warsaw. A witness said: 'The person drove through a street of kneeling children, around 60 of them, deliberately and slowly . . . From the look on his face, we believe he was doing this coldly and intentionally.'

One particularly disturbing incident in 2023 occurred in the UK. Ahmed Alid, an asylum seeker from Morocco living in Hartlepool, murdered 70-year-old Terence Carney because of Israel's actions in Gaza. Earlier that day Alid had attempted to murder his housemate Javed Nouri, a convert to Christianity from a Muslim background. Alid stabbed Nouri repeatedly to cries of 'Allahu Akbar' because he considered Nouri an apostate 'who deserved to die'. Nouri had earlier complained about Alid's alleged threatening behaviour but the police decided no offence had been committed.

Attacks on Churches The most common form of anti-Christian violence in Europe was vandalism against churches. This made up 62 per cent of recorded incidents. Among these, 24 per cent involved desecration, including beheading and destruction of religious statues. Ten per cent of the church attacks involved arson, with some churches being utterly destroyed.

Edouard de Lamaze, president of the Observatory of Religious Heritage in Paris, said one Christian building in France is disappearing every two weeks for all causes, and that two-thirds of fires in religious buildings are due to arson. He estimates that on average more than two Christian monuments are targeted every day.

That churches are disappearing at this rate has serious implications for the future of France. 'One mosque is erected every 15 days in France, while one Christian building is destroyed at the same pace,' Lamaze said. 'It creates a tipping point on the territory that should be taken into account.'

Free Speech Overt hostility is having a chilling effect on free speech for Christians. The expression of once widely accepted traditional Christian beliefs is increasingly being met with hostility. This can result in discrimination and bullying at work and even loss of employment.

A survey claimed that Christianity is being 'marginalised' in the UK and those who profess the Christian faith are 'regarded with contempt'. One result is that there is increasing self-censorship by Christians in the UK. The survey indicates that only 36 per cent of Christians under the age of 35 feel free to express traditional Christian views when discussing social issues, particularly around sexuality, at work.

It should be a matter of concern to all that the peaceful and reasoned expression of one's Christian beliefs on matters relating to marriage and the family, which are at the heart of Christian social ethics, can result in abuse, get you thrown out of work despite supposed protections, finish a political career, or even end up in court.

Who Does This? Of the cases documented by OIDAC Europe, where the motives or background of the perpetrators could be established (69), most attacks had a radical Islamist background (21), followed by anti-religious (14), radical left (13) and other political motives (12), some of which were linked to the war in Ukraine. Compared with the cases documented in 2022, the numbers remained almost the same, except for cases with an Islamist background, which nearly doubled from 11 to 21.

It is not only individuals who are expressing anti-Christian sentiments and attitudes. Increasing secularisation has led to greater religious illiteracy amongst the general public and amongst social and political leaders. With the growth of the influence of secular ethics, Europe's Christians face increasing restrictions on the exercise of religious freedom. These include the freedom to express religious views on the changing understanding of human sexuality and human relationships which have become today's social orthodoxy.

Last year saw a number of European governments passing legislation which restricted religious freedom. These range from bans on religious processions to the targeting of Christians for the peaceful expression of their religious beliefs.

Particularly shocking is the case of Adam Smith-Connor who was prosecuted last month for praying silently in a public street in a so-called 'buffer zone' near an abortion clinic in Bournemouth. He was convicted of breaching a safe zone, given a two-year conditional discharge and ordered to pay more than £9,000 costs. This and similar cases have raised international concern, including from the US Commission on International Religious Freedom.

The mainstream media are unconcerned about the rising tide of anti-Christian attacks in Europe. Their priorities lie elsewhere and Christians don't fit the narrative.

END