"In Britain, Christians face a double threat. Firstly, radical secularism that has forced the Catholic Church to curtail some of its valuable services to society, and secondly a growing radical Islam that is leading to the creation of parallel Sharia laws. This so-called "Sharia Creep" is out to exploit the weaknesses of our value system, increasing the chances of extremist violence."
"At a time of increasing marginalisation, discrimination and persecution – especially of Christians – I appeal to the international community to respond robustly to attacks on religious freedom wherever they occur."
After citing several attacks against Christians in Arab and African states, in a speech at the National Assembly, Mr. Remiller goes on to say: „Our country isn't spared! A crucifix and three statues of the Virgin Mary profaned in the department of the Landes within ten days. Let alone arts, which, having been "sacred" for several centuries in our country, is henceforth too often disrespectful of Christianity."
“No more witchhunts by the Canadian Human Rights Commission, no more persecuting their political enemies, which were just as often their religious enemies,” said Canadian politicians Ezra Levant, upon the good prospects of a bill which is likely to repeal the current hate speech law. Over the past ten years, he noted, the Canadian human rights commissions “effectively declared that Christianity itself was offensive, was hate speech.” “Today is a great day, not just for conservatives or Christians, but for any Canadian who believes in true human rights, the human rights to freedom of speech and freedom of religion,” he said.
In a letter sent to Downing Street, Bishop Joseph Devine urged Mr Cameron to launch an inquiry into “whether the new equality and sexual orientation legislation infringes the rights of others and especially those who attend church”. The Bishop of Motherwell warned that an inquiry was needed because of dozens of cases in which churchgoers “appear to be given less respect for their views than other religions”.
Governement Minister, Baroness Warsi, – a Muslim – said “We need to create a country in which people can be unashamedly proud of their faith – where they don’t feel that they have to leave religion at the door. “That means being proud of Christianity, not downgrading it.” She also said: “For many years, I have been saying that the stronger we are as a Christian nation, the more understanding we will be of other faiths.”
"Modern Art is one of today’s christianophobia’s main manifestation... Of all religions, Christianity is, with no doubt, the most assaulted by art."
Miss Widdecombe, former UK Conservative minister: “David Cameron’s government have threatened to cut the overseas aid budget for countries which persecute homosexuals. Fair enough. But what about Christians? When do we qualify for such protection or don’t we?” Ann Widdecombe also said: “You stand a better chance of earnest representation if you are a hedgehog – and I speak as a patron of the Hedgehog Protection Society. In the last 10 years, how many debates have there been on persecution of Christians, how many Government statements on the subject?”
In a reaction to the event of the Chairmanship of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the relevant Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) to reflect on the phenomenon of hate incidents and crimes against Christians, the COMECE deplores the "decrease in tolerance for the visual presence of Christianity in the public environment" and "those organisations and minority groups that call for tolerance towards themselves, while in turn showing intolerance vis-à-vis religion (and in particular Christianity) by ridiculing or even insulting the Church during public events".
"In Europe... the social environment isn’t without problems. Just browse through the facts mentioned by the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe to be baffled by the number of cases taking place in Europe. People are discriminated against in either a veiled or opened manner, on their workplaces or in different areas of social life, and this only because they are Christian."
At an OSCE round table on hate crimes against Christians, Archbishop Mamberti, Secretary of State for Relations with States said: "Hate crimes almost invariably feed on an environment where religious freedom is not fully respected and religion is discriminated against."
At an OSCE high level meeting, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk expressed his concern about freedom of expression of Christians as well as acts of vandalism against Christians in the OSCE area.
Lamberto Zannier, OSCE Secretary General: “Hate incidents and hate crimes directed against Christians strike at the core values of the OSCE community. They violate fundamental freedoms that have formed an integral part of the OSCE acquis since the Helsinki Final Act of 1975. Just last December in Astana, our heads of state and government agreed that ‘greater efforts must be made to promote freedom of religious or belief.’ That freedom is endangered by hate crimes.”
Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate's department for external Church relations, pointed to a "basic danger" of "attempting to use religious diversity as an excuse to exclude signs of Christian civilization from the public and political realities of the continent, as though this would make our continent friendlier towards non-Christians." In fact, he said, this separation endangers the representatives of any religion.
„Religious freedom cannot be restricted to the simple freedom of worship, although the latter is obviously an important part of it," he explained. "With due respect to the rights of all, religious freedom includes, among others, the right to preach, educate, convert, contribute to the political discourse and participate fully in public activities." Archbishop Mamberti went on to say that if it is true that the risk of hate crimes is related to a denial of religious liberty, "we should not forget that there are serious problems even in areas of the world where fortunately there is no violent persecution of Christians."
One of Ireland's most influential columnists, and a long time critic of the the Catholic Church, has admitted that there is a culture of hostility in the Irish media towards religion.
According to the Catholic Herold, the Archbishop said the British courts are wrongfully penalising Christians through an “incorrect interpretation” of human rights laws, judges were guilty of “woolly thinking” and a bias against Christians who either wore religious jewellery or who had taken a moral stand against acts they held in conscience to be sinful. He also insisted that Christians must be allowed “by any reckoning” to act according to their consciences and “not be obliged to do something they know or believe in their consciences to be wrong”.
Conservative backbencher Lord Waddington tabled a motion to express regret at the unfair impact of equality laws on religious believers, and the bureaucratic burdens heaped on public bodies. Speaking in the Lords debate on September 8th, 2011, Lord Waddington said: “We want to make it plain to people that there is real concern throughout the whole country. We stand for fair, not unfair, behaviour.”
After talking about limitations to freedom of religion elsewhere, Thomas S. Kidd, a senior fellow at Baylor University's Institute for Studies of Religion, goes on to say in „USA Today“: