Violence against Christians in Europe increased in 2024 from the previous year, according to a new report, and the jump included murders.
The Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe (OIDAC Europe), based in Vienna, Austria, found 274 personal attacks against Christians, up from 232 in 2023. Most of the 2,211 anti-Christian hate crimes in 2024 occurred against places of worship in France, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Spain.
OIDAC Europe Director Anja Tan (formerly Mr Hoffmann) announced the latest figures at the Intergroup Meeting on Freedom of Religion, Belief and Conscience in the European Parliament on Tuesday 18 November. Mr Tan recalled that there were incidents of violence, including murder, against 30 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) at the conference.
“We are not only observing an alarming number of attacks against Christians, but also the growing intolerance Christians face within broader society,” Mr Tan said. “Additionally, Christians are increasingly being prosecuted in Europe for peacefully expressing their beliefs, including Finnish politician Paivi Rasanen, who has been on trial for more than six years after tweeting a Bible verse in 2019.”
The report cites examples of murders, such as the death of a 76-year-old monk in Spain on November 9 last year. A man claiming to be Jesus Christ invaded the Monastery of Santo Espiritu del Monte in Gire, north of Valencia, and attacked monks, injuring several.
On September 10, 2025, an Iraqi Christian who was livestreaming his faith on TikTok was stabbed to death by an assailant outside his apartment in Lyon, France. Ashour Sarnaya, a disabled Assyrian Christian who uses a wheelchair and fled persecution from the Islamic State group in Iraq, reportedly said he had received threats in online comments and anonymous phone calls. He was 45 years old.
The attack reportedly occurred just before 10:30 p.m. near his apartment at 53 Rue Sergeant-Michel Berthe in the 9th arrondissement. According to eyewitness reports at the time, the assailant waited for Sarnaya and stabbed her in the neck.
In another incident reported this year, an Islamic State-linked assailant shot and killed a man during Sunday Mass at a Catholic church in Istanbul in January.
The report said attacks against clergy in Poland and Spain were significantly underreported.
“Almost half of the priests surveyed in Poland reported experiencing an act of violence in the past year, but more than 80% did not report the incident to the police,” the report said.
According to OIDAC Europe, multiple restrictions on religious freedom on the continent include prohibitions on public prayer and religious expression, prosecution for expressing religious beliefs, violations of religious autonomy and parental rights, and restrictions on conscientious objection.
In March, a Finnish court found an elderly Christian couple guilty of “assault” after praying with a young man struggling with his sexuality.
“Although the young man voluntarily sought their assistance and participated in the prayer, the court upheld his claim that the prayer caused psychological harm,” the report states.
Authorities across Europe have accused Christians of praying silently or spontaneously conversing in “buffer zones” near abortion clinics, continuing a trend from the previous year.
At least 20 people have been charged in Spain since 2022 for peacefully praying near abortion clinics.
“Some have faced prosecution for peacefully expressing their religious beliefs and historic Christian teachings on issues related to sexual ethics,” the report said.
France recorded the highest number of anti-Christian hate crimes in Europe. The number of incidents in the first half of 2025 increased by 13% compared to the previous year.
Examples include the arrest of Islamist suspects in connection with the planned Islamic State-inspired terrorist attack on Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. In another incident, 50 graves were destroyed in southern France. There was graffiti on the grave and a nearby church with messages such as “Submit to Islam.”
In Germany, hate crimes against Christians increased by 22% in 2024, from 277 to 337. This data follows a 105% increase from the previous year. There were also 33 incidents of arson against Christians in the country, the highest number ever.
The report noted that these figures include only politically motivated hate crimes, thereby overlooking many anti-Christian attacks with other motives.
Violence against Christians has doubled in Spain, and vandalism of church buildings and symbols has increased by 12 percent.
The UK Christian Discrimination Commission (CIDAC) released a report in June 2024, claiming that 56% of Christians surveyed reported experiencing hostility or ridicule for expressing their beliefs, especially in the workplace.
However, further hearings by the commission this year found that many Christian victims of discrimination chose not to participate in research, even anonymously, for fear of stigma or personal repercussions.
According to the OIDAC Europe report, the commission noted that “Christians self-report being marginalized in an increasingly hostile and discriminatory environment.”
The report also cited concerns about media bias against Christians in Europe and highlighted violations of religious freedom in the Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine.
Intergroup Co-Chairs Bert Jan Luyssen and Miriam Lexmann MEPs emphasized the importance of concrete action by the EU on the issues covered in the report.
“Attacks against Christians and discrimination against Christians in Europe have received little attention, but these numbers are alarming.” Luijsen said. “As an Intergroup of 30 concerned parliamentarians, we call on the EU and its member states to finally take action.”
OPIDAC Europe noted that an intergroup meeting of MEPs had published a request for “three concrete measures from the European Commission to address this issue”.
First, it called on the European Commission to appoint a European Coordinator to combat attacks and discrimination against Christians, as similar Coordinators exist to combat anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim hatred.
MEPs previously wrote to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Home Affairs and Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner (4 April) requesting the appointment of the coordinator, saying: “The time has come for incidents against Christians to be dealt with appropriately.”
Second, it called on EU member states to collect and report data on attacks and discrimination against Christians. Third, they demanded funding from the EU to combat attacks and discrimination against Christians, and made similar funds available to combat anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim hatred.
