EUROPE'S CHRISTIANS UNDER SIEGE: Arson, Murder, and the War They Won't Name
Europe witnessed 2,211 anti-Christian hate crimes in 2024, with church arson attacks nearly doubling to 94 incidents and personal attacks rising from 232 to 274 cases, according to a report released this week by the Vienna-based Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe.
Germany accounted for one-third of all arson attacks, with 33 church burnings. France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, and Austria recorded the highest numbers of incidents overall. In France, reported attacks rose 13 percent in the first half of 2025 after a brief decline.
Where motives could be determined, radical Islam was the most common ideology driving the attacks, followed by radical left-wing extremism. At least 15 attacks featured satanic symbols or references.
The violence turned deadly multiple times. In November 2024, a 26-year-old Moroccan man stormed the Friary of Santo Espiritu del Monte in Spain shouting "I am Jesus Christ," killing 76-year-old Franciscan friar Juan Antonio Llorente and injuring seven others.
In September 2025, an assailant stabbed 45-year-old Iraqi Christian Ashur Sarnaya to death in Lyon, France, while he livestreamed about his faith on TikTok outside his apartment. Sarnaya, a disabled Assyrian Christian in a wheelchair, had fled Islamic State persecution in Iraq.
In January 2024, ISIS gunmen opened fire during Sunday Mass at the Church of Santa Maria in Istanbul, killing 52-year-old Tuncer Murat Cihan. ISIS claimed the attack was carried out "in response to the Islamic State's leaders' call to target Jews and Christians everywhere".
Beyond physical violence, European governments pressured Christian expression through legal means. Examples include prosecution of individuals for silently praying near abortion facilities in the United Kingdom and ongoing hate speech proceedings against Finnish Member of Parliament Päivi Räsänen for quoting the Bible.
The report recommends the European Union appoint a coordinator to combat anti-Christian hatred, similar to positions that exist for antisemitism and anti-Muslim hatred.
THE CRUSADER'S OPINION
They burned 94 churches. They murdered priests and friars in their monasteries. ISIS terrorists shot Christians during Sunday Mass. And Europe's response? Silence.
The same governments that scream about protecting minorities prosecute Christians for praying silently. They arrest MPs for quoting Scripture. They watch radical Islam spread through their cities while criminalizing Christian witness.
Notice what gets a coordinator? Antisemitism. Anti-Muslim hatred. Both terrible. Both addressed. But anti-Christian violence? That gets a shrug.
This is civilizational surrender dressed up as tolerance. When Madrid's churches burn, they call it vandalism. When an ISIS cell guns down a Christian at Mass, they mumble about lone actors. When 2,200 hate crimes happen in one year, they tell you not to worry.
Germany had 33 church arsons. France saw attacks jump 13 percent this year. The UK prosecutes Christians for standing near abortion clinics.
Our ancestors built these cathedrals. Bled for this continent. Now their descendants won't even name the enemy setting them on fire.
Wake up or watch it all burn.
TAKE ACTION
Support Persecuted European Christians
- Aid to the Church in Need – Direct support for attacked churches and Christian communities across Europe
Website: www.acnuk.org | Phone: +44 (0)20 8642 8668 - Observatory on Intolerance Against Christians (OIDAC) – Documentation and advocacy organization tracking European persecution
Website: www.intoleranceagainstchristians.eu | Email: office@oidac-europe.org - Christian Concern (UK) – Legal defense for Christians facing prosecution
Website: www.christianconcern.com | Phone: +44 (0)20 7467 4180 - Voice the Truth – Share these statistics on social media. Europe's Christians need witnesses who won't stay silent.
DEUS VULT
