All cases

Filtered by: Hate Incident

Young People Attack Priest and Utter Anti-Christian insults

June 12, 2023, France

On June 12th 2023, a "group of young people" attacked Joseph Eid, the rector of the Notre-Dame-du-Liban parish. Shortly after 8 pm a dozen young people allegedly entered the presbytery to retrieve a soccer ball, and were scolded by the priest. The situation seems to have escalated and the priest was violently thrown to the ground, then grabbed by the back of the neck before being helped by witnesses. The assailants then fled, hurling anti-Christian insults.

Many Injured After Car Driver Rammed Through the Corpus Christi Procession in Warsaw

June 8, 2023, Poland

On June 8, during the Corpus Christi procession in Ursynów, an Audi driver rammed his car through the procession, hitting and injuring people. The police are investigating the event.

Case opened over the the Burning of a Cross in La Coruña

June 1, 2023, Spain

On June 1st, the provincial prosecutor's office of La Coruña opened a case over the burning of a cross in La Toleira of Neda, following a complaint by the organisation of Christian Lawyers. The lawyers' organization indicates that BNG (Galician nationalist party) members were responsible for the incident. They are being charged with possible hate crimes, offending religious feelings, offending historical heritage and illegal demonstrations. The Prosecutor's Office is asking the police to identify those involved in the reported act and the person(s) responsible for the fire.

French Church Desecrated in Cugnaux Village

May 28, 2023, France

On Sunday May 28, individuals broke into the church and carried out various acts of vandalism and damage to the place of worship. They tried to set fire to the church, also all the candles were knocked over, a crucifix was damaged and paintings were broken. The mayor, Albert Sanchez, strongly condemned this act of violence. In this context, local representatives called for a peaceful gathering in front of Cugnaux town hall (near the church), on May 31 at 6:30 pm to condemn all acts of violence against places of worship.

Vandals locked out Priest and Vandalize his Church

May 23, 2023, Poland

In Malnia, near Gogolin on May 23rd, unknown perpetrators blocked the door to the rectory to prevent the parish priest from intervening and committed the destruction of a statue of the Virgin Mary, a statue of St. Anthony, and the devastation of the church interior. The losses made by the perpetrators were estimated at several thousand zlotys.

Vandals Pour Red Paint Inside the Walls of a French Church

May 19, 2023, France

On May 19, between 3:00 and 7:00 p.m., unknown perpetrators entered the church Notre-Dame des Grâces in Revel without being detected. Once inside, they poured red paint on the walls. A depiction of Christ on the cross, a pyrographed painting of the Virgin and Child, candles and the altar were also vandalized with paint. On a wall, the word "proteste" (unclear form in French) was also written in red. The mayor considers closing the church outside worship hours due to this incident. The same happening had already taken place on May 1st, with the same acts and the word "protest" written on a wall with red paint. Back in 2018, the church in Revel had been attacked with arson.

European Parliament: Outrage over exhibition showing explicitly sexualized Jesus surrounded by apostles

May 4, 2023, European Institutions (EU, ECHR, et.al.)

An exhibition in the European Parliament showing Jesus surrounded by men dressed in leather as sadomasochistic slaves, apparently homosexuals, has provoked complaints from several MEPs and Christians in Europe. The author, lesbian Swedish photographer Elisabeth Ohlson, argues the photographs depict Christ supporting homosexual rights.

Street wall Displays insults and Hateful Messages Against Christians

May 2, 2023, Germany

A German man who was doing a bicycle tour around the Tollensee Sea in Germany, near Neubrandenburg, came across a wall displaying several hateful or disrespectful messages and insults almost entirely against Christians or Catholic Christians. He posted a picture of the display on his facebook page and informed the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians. Some of the posters on the wall say "F**k off Vatican", "Good that theologians are disappearing on their own", "Catholics are sh*t", among other things.

Cross Vandalized on Sisco, Corsica

April 27, 2023, France

A cross on the Saint Jean pass in Sisco, Corsica, was found vandalized at the end of April. The nearly two-metre-high cross was placed on the pass more than twenty years ago by the inhabitants of Sisco. This is one of the four acts of anti-Christian vandalism which have occurred in Corsica in recent months. A statuette of the Virgin Mary in Petit Capo had just been vandalised a few days before the cross was decapitated, and a makeshift altar at a scout camp in Varo was vandalised shortly after this. In May, another statue of the Virgin Mary was found decapitated in Ajaccio.

Three acts of Vandalism to Churches in a Belgian Village.

April 22, 2023, Belgium

On the 2nd of April, unknown people destroyed two statues and one vase in the Saint-Rémi Church, in the village of Profondeville. The day after, a small chapel nearby was burnt. A few days before, a Statue of the Virgin had been destroyed too. The police assume, that the same persons committed the three acts.

A Church severely vandalized in Angers - Suspect Arrested

April 12, 2023, France

On the April 12, 2023, the rector of the Sainte-Madeleine Church in Angers found his church devastated: seven statues had been beheaded or amputated, the altar was vandalized, and many crosses were too. Mr. Verchère, Mayor of the city, and Mr. Darmanin, Minister of the Interior condemned the degradation. On the 18. April, a 40-year-old with criminal records named Brahim was arrested by the police, he was also taken to a hospital for psychiatric examination.

30 Gravestones Vandalized In Church Cemetery near London

April 12, 2023, United Kingdom

Over three nights on April 12, 13, and 14, in Croydon, thirty gravestones have been destroyed with a sledgehammer - some graves were dating back 500 years, at a Grade I listed church. «The church is appealing for witnesses along with police who are trying to find out who took a sledgehammer to the graves. »

Belgian Pastor Publicly Defamed and Church Vandalized

April 9, 2023, Belgium

On the 9th of April, at night, unknown people wrote with white paint "Pa Pedophil" (paedophile pastor) on the evangelical Church of Jemelle. Pastor Grégory Zieleniec received a hateful letter in his mailbox "pedophil en liberté. Il s'agit du pasteur grégory zieleniec" (Free paedophile. This is Pastor Gregory Zieleniec). The Pastor has filed a complaint for insult, vandalism and defamation.

Catholic School Students and Teachers Receive Online Death Threats

March 31, 2023, France

On the 31. March 2023, pupils and teachers from the Catholic School "Saint-Pierre", in the southern city of Montrond-les-Bains, received a threatening message in the school's intern e-mail box. An unknown person, probably an outsider, threatened pupils of with death with the words "I'm going to cut your throat". An investigation has been opened by the police.

Legal Proceedings Opened For Posters in San Sebastian Insulting Catholics

March 21, 2023, Spain

"If you abort now, what are we going to f**k in 5 or 6 years?" This is what was depicted in the posters that appeared in March in several bus shelters in San Sebastián, Spain. Apart from the hateful sentence that attacks religious feelings and discriminates Catholics, the posters included the image of an unborn child and the logo of the Spanish Episcopal Conference. The Organisation "Abogados Cristianos" filed a complaint regarding the events and now the courts have asked the Ertaintza (Basque Police) to investigate the authorship of the posters.

Man disturbs Mass and is suspected to have stolen a Crucifix in a Parisian Church

March 17, 2023, France

On March 17, a man loudly disturbed the Mass at the Saint-Hippolyte Church in Paris. He is also suspected to have stolen a Crucifix from a Parisian Church the day before. The crucifix, which was probably taken down during the theft, was found "broken into several pieces" on a nearby street corner, according to the police. The man is already flagged with a "fiche S", which means, the French State regards him as a danger to public safety. He has also been classified as a potential Islamist. He has also been sent to a psychiatric investigation.

Glass door smashed during parish event

March 3, 2023, Italy

On the evening of Sunday, 3 March 2024, unknown individuals shattered the glass door of the room adjoining the BMV Immacolata Parish in Terlizzi, Italy. This room is used by the church for pastoral and catechetical activities. The incident occurred during a meeting between the parish priest, Father Gianni Rafanelli, and young people.

Evangelical Church of Veneux-les-Sablons attacked the second time

February 18, 2023, France

Another report has come that the Evangelical Baptist Church of Veneux-les-Sablons was vandalized for a second time. A member of the Baptist Association posted pictures on her Facebook page that showed damaged windows and broken glasses. The constant reminder for prayer is needed for the church and the volunteers have also tried to secure the premises before the celebration on February 18.

Church Vandalised Multiple Times in Catanzaro

February 5, 2023, Italy

A church in Catanzaro suffered a vandalic attack in early February (reported on the 5th February), causing damages worth 3000 euros. According to the sources, this church has been targeted before. "Dismay and anger. The umpteenth act of vandalism to which the Pistoia neighbourhood church of St. Mary of Hope [in Catanzaro], has been subjected provokes a reaction of indignation" reports Catanzaro Informa quoting Fr. Giorgio Pilò, parish priest of the vandalised church.

Orthodox Church Shelled by Russian Invaders in Oleshky

January 31, 2023, Ukraine

On January 31, it was reported that the Russian invaders have fired on a Church belonging to the Moscow Patriarchate in the town of Oleshky. The attack happened while a funeral was taking place, in which collaborate Zhuravko was being buried. The number of casualties after the incident is still under investigation.