Anti-Christian Incidents March 2026
During the month of March 2026, the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe (OIDAC Europe) recorded 41 anti-Christian hate crimes targeting Christian places of worship, religious symbols, religious spaces, and Christian individuals.
The recorded hate crimes comprise 21 cases of vandalism, 9 cases of desecration, 7 arson-related attacks, 2 thefts specifically targeting religious objects, and 2 cases of physical violence. Particularly serious incidents included the intrusion and assault during a religious service at Notre-Dame Immaculée Church in Belgium, and several acts of desecration and symbolic targeting of central Christian elements, including the burning of altar Bibles inside a church in Germany and a church in Switzerland, where the incident also led to the brief hospitalisation of the pastor due to smoke inhalation. Cases involving satanic or overtly hostile anti-Christian graffiti were also recorded, including in Viterbo, Italy, and Poznań, Poland, while in other cases crosses, altars, statues, confessionals, and grave sites were deliberately damaged or desecrated.
The highest number of incidents in March 2026 was recorded in Italy (10), followed by Germany (9), France (6), and Poland (4). Further cases were recorded in Spain (2), Belgium (2), Ireland (2), Austria (1), Croatia (1), and the Czech Republic (1). Outside the European Union, additional incidents were recorded in Switzerland (1), the United Kingdom (1) and Ukraine (1).