In Time For Red Wednesday, New Report Details Christian Persecution In Europe
(ANALYSIS) The Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians (OIDAC), based in Vienna, released its latest report last week on religious freedom violations against Christians in Europe.
For 2023, it records 2,444 anti-Christian hate crimes documented by police and civil society occurring in 35 European countries. 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.
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In the U.K, there was a 15% increase in incidents compared to 2022, with some 700 cases reported. Several of these were against converts from Islam, including Javed Nouri, who narrowly survived an attempted murder by his roommate, who believed he "deserved to die.” Germany witnessed a much more dramatic increase of 105%, with 227 incidents in 2023 compared to 135 in 2022.
There were also government restrictions, including a man in the U.K. convicted for silently praying near an abortion clinic within a designated “buffer zone.” The report also records discrimination against Christians in public life and the workplace. Christian politicians have faced discrimination and been forced to choose between a political vocation and their faith. This leads to increasing self-censorship among Christians.
Despite these alarming findings, this report has received comparatively less attention than similar reports on violations against Muslims and other minorities, especially against Jews.
One reason for this is both obvious and understandable. Since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas assault on Israel, and the subsequent and ongoing Israeli military strikes in Gaza, assaults on Jews in Europe, as well as throughout the world, have multiplied like a virus, culminating in the attacks in Amsterdam on Nov. 7. These are more widespread than attacks on Christians and require widespread attention and action.
But, beyond these justifiable concerns, there are some troubling aspects.
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. This is often more an unthought attitude rather than an explicit belief, but the result is the same.
Consequently, OIDAC's reports have often been sidelined as a conservative source. But its work embeds internet links to all the incidents it reports, so they can very easily checked and verified. They also dovetail with reports by other sources such as the Pew Forum on Religion and Public life and Aid to the Church in Need. The Pew Forum finds that increasing restrictions on religious freedom for all groups are a long-term trend in Europe.
Even if we include the non-practicing “census Christians” in Europe, the majority of Christians live in the Global South. If we restrict ourselves to those who are actually active in their faith, then some 80% of Christians now live outside the West. In the U.S., Christianity is far more robust amongst African Americans and Hispanics than in the population at large.
In the U.K., church attendance is less in the quaint traditional shires than it is in London. In London itself, most churchgoers are not white.
Meanwhile, throughout the world at large, it is likely that currently over 300 million of these Christians live in countries where they face persecution, discrimination and harassment. The Pew Forum finds that Christians are harassed in more countries than any other religious group.
In the face of these grievous reports, the Christian charity organization Aid to the Church in Need has organized events on Wednesday know as “Red Wednesday” to raise awareness of the plight of persecuted Christians. There will be 300 events in more than 20 countries. Churches and other religious sites will be illuminated in red to show solidarity with those persecuted for their faith. In some countries, government buildings will also be highlighted in red.
The U.K., France, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Malta, Portugal, the United States, Canada, Australia and others are due to take part. Ireland plans to illuminate 26 of its cathedrals in red.
ACN will also release its own report, “Persecuted and Forgotten?” that details the maltreatment of Christians in 18 countries. The report finds that “Christian persecution has significantly worsened in most countries surveyed” between 2022 and 2024. Nicaragua is included in the report for the first time due to the nation’s increased targeting of clergy for expulsion.
Caroline Hull, ACN's U.K Director, said “#RedWednesday is the day when we shine a light on the reality of anti-Christian persecution around the globe, emphasizing the importance of religious freedom as a fundamental human right.”
These reports require our attention since they carefully document the massive and still downplayed persecution of Christians worldwide. And Red Wednesday is the chance to draw increased support.
Paul Marshall is the Wilson Professor of Religious Freedom at Baylor’s Institute for Studies of Religion at Baylor University, director of the Religious Freedom Institute’s South and Southeast Asia Action Team, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute’s Center for Religious Freedom and author of over 20 books on religion and politics.