All cases

Repeated Urination in German Church Over The Past 18 Months

July 10, 2023, Germany

In the past year, the door of the Saint Joseph church in Stadthagen was smeared with faeces, the holy water font was filled with urine, and now the sanctuary was found urinated as well. Due to these attacks, the church has decided to close its doors to the public during the day, says Father Markus Grabowski: "For months our church has been urinated in, multiple times. We're tired and don't know what else to do but to close."

Far-left activists hinder entrance to church and disrupt mass

July 9, 2023, France

According to reports by local media and religious groups, 40 far-left activists gathered in front of the church of Saint Pierre de Colombier on Sunday, July 9, shouting anti-Christian slogans and hindering the faithful to attend the morning mass. They furthermore disturbed the mass by playing loud music and shouting in front of the door.

Recurrent Vandalism and Damages in Dielheim Church

June 22, 2023, Germany

The glass of a candlestick was broken as were numerous candles, the contents of a first-aid kit were scattered on the floor, a holy water font was emptied and self-painted pictures of the first communion soaked with water in a large-scale act of vandalism in the St-Cyriak-Kirche in Dielheim, discovered on the 22nd of June. The damage is estimated to be around 3000 euros. This current case of vandalisation has moved the parish council to go to the police and limit the opening hours of the church. The church has seen smaller acts of vandalism before, including broken windows or candles, but something of this scale hasn't occurred since 2017.

Youth Gang Sprinkle Each Other with Holy Water and Shout "Allah Akbar" in Nice

June 20, 2023, France

On June 20, in the church of Saint Roch in Nice, a group of young people entered the place and sprinkled themselves with Holy Water and then one of them shouted "Allah Akbar", which can be considered a threat, as this shout is used by Islamists during attacks. The incident was reported to the first deputy mayor responsible for security, Anthony Borré, who said he would take the matter "very seriously".

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.

British Man Admits Plotting to Murder Street Evangelist Hatun Tash

May 19, 2023, United Kingdom

A 21-year-old British man, Edward Little, has pleaded guilty to preparing to commit acts of terrorism in an attack against the evangelist Hatun Tash in 2022. Little was found carrying £5,000, with which he planned to buy a firearm to kill Hatun Tash at the Speaker's Corner, a place for public debates where she frequently debates and preaches. He refused the allegations at first, but on the May 19, 2023 he admitted to planning the murder back on September 23, 2022.

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.

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.

Vandalism to a Pope John-Paul II Monument in Lodz

April 2, 2023, Poland

On the 2nd of April, a Statue of Pope John-Paul II was vandalized: the hands were painted red, the face yellow. The sentence "Maxima Culpa" has been written on the pedestal, which is most probably an allusion to Ekke Overbeek's book accusing the late Pope of having closed the eyes on children-abuse cases.

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.

Anti-Christian Tags Painted on Cardinal Saliège's Statue in Toulouse

March 19, 2023, France

On March 19, unknown vandals wrote the anarchist motto "Ni Dieu ni maître" (No God nor master) on the pedestal of Cardinal Saliège's statue in Toulouse. The Cardinal served as archbishop of the city during World War 2 and used all his power to rescue Jews from persecution and later received the title of Righteous Among the Nations. The current archbishop, Guy de Kerimel strongly condemned this degradation which "hurts both Christians and Jews". The degradation occurred precisely eleven years after Mohammed Merah's mass shooting at a Jewish school.

Bordeaux Church Vandalized and tagged with Anti-Christian comments

March 12, 2023, France

The Church of the Sacred Heart in Bordeaux has recently been vandalized and defaced with offensive graffiti, causing shock among the local community. According to reports from French news outlets, the perpetrators attempted to set fire to the church's door and left hateful messages on the walls, including phrases such as "Thank you Satan" and "devil take me with you," expressing their opposition to God and allegiance to Lucifer. Witnesses have stated that the offenders may have been a group of intoxicated individuals who were present before firefighters arrived at the scene.

Young People Riot Inside Church and Insult worshipers During Mass

March 12, 2023, Germany

On the evening of March 12, a group of young individuals caused a disturbance at a church in Munich. They rioted and used offensive language directed against the attendants of the mass. It was reported that the parishioners inside the church also heard a loud noise, and then they noticed the window pane had been broken. The priests and churchgoers were targeted with derogatory comments. The group of young people then left. The police were notified, they had not yet identified the perpetrators and are estimating the costs of the damage to property.

Basilica of La Mercé in Barcelona Tagged with offensive words

March 10, 2023, Spain

The Basilica of La Mercé located in Barcelona was vandalized once again. A spokesperson told the news that this had happened before. An unknown suspect has sprayed offensive remarks against the church and God. The newspaper el Debate also reported that they contacted the city council to help wash the words from the affected walls and are hoping to get an answer, since they got ignored the last time something similar happened.

A Spanish Senator Sued for Publicly Mocking and Discriminating Against Catholics

March 8, 2023, Spain

According to ifamnews, the Spanish Christian Lawyers Foundation has started legal proceedings against Senator Carles Mulet for engaging in acts of harassment against Christians and the affiliated organizations that publicly express their religious beliefs. The lawsuit also claims that Mulet has advocated for the removal of crosses by city councils, particularly in the Valley of the Fallen.

19-year-old Arrested after Video Showing him Burning an Image of the Virgin

February 8, 2023, Russia

A video on the internet have been circulating in Astrakhan of a 19-year-old burning a religious shrine, an image of the the Virgin Mary. Later that day, he was arrested and questioned by the police. The person filming behind the camera will also be questioned for the offensive crime.

Paris: man arrested for making death threats against priests

February 7, 2023, France

On February 7, a man was arrested by police in Paris for making death threats against multiple priests. According to a French news site, a staff member from the Saint-Sulpice church alerted the authorities about the suspect. It was also reported that the man had threatened a priest in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés parish. The Paris judicial police are investigating the case, and it was revealed that the man is on an S file for state security related to terrorism and a search file for a temporary ban from French territory. These developments are concerning and raise questions about the motives behind the threats and whether the man acted alone or as part of a larger group.

Attack against two churches in Algeciras leaves one dead and at least four wounded — terrorist shouted "death to Christians"

January 25, 2023, Spain

On the evening of January 25, a jihadist terror attack targeting two Catholic churches took place in Algeciras, Spain. Y. K., a 25-year-old Moroccan, has been arrested as the sole perpetrator of the attack, which he executed with a machete. An altar server was killed, and at least four persons are injured, including a priest in serious condition. Several witnesses indicate that he conducted the attack while shouting "Allah is great" and "death to Christians".