RFI’s Paul Marshall recently wrote a piece for Religion Unplugged highlighting a new report on religious freedom violations against Christians in Europe. Authored by The Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians (OIDAC), the report

records 2,444 anti-Christian hate crimes documented by police and civil society occurring in 35 European countries [in 2023]. This includes 232 personal attacks, such as harassment, threats and physical violence. At least 2,000 Christian places of worship were damaged in 2023.

Attacks took place throughout the continent, including Germany, the United Kingdom and especially France. France had almost 1,000 anti-Christian hate crimes in 2023, about 90% of which were aimed at churches and cemeteries, and there were also at least 84 religion-related personal attacks. Two nuns had to leave the city of Nantes after ‘beatings, spitting and insults.’ Four churches in Paris were attacked with Molotov cocktails.

Despite these alarming figures, Marshall observes that violations against Christians are often downplayed in the West, both for understandable and troubling reasons. As to the latter, Marshall writes:

One is the outdated — but persistent — belief in much of our media that Christianity is largely Western and white and thus more likely to be an oppressor than oppressed. Hence, the issue of the persecution of Christians is seen as a ‘right-wing’ concern.

Quite to the contrary, Marshall notes, “the majority of Christians live in the Global South.”

Read the full article: “In Time For Red Wednesday, New Report Details Christian Persecution In Europe.”