Report: Religious freedom watchdog says anti-Christian hate crimes remained high in Europe
he watchdog report says the repeated attacks on churches and violence against individual Christians reflect an ongoing pattern of hostility.
June saw one of the highest levels of anti-Christian hate crimes across Europe, with 40 documented incidents, according to a religious freedom watchdog’s report.
The Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe (OIDAC Europe) said in its June report that this was the second-highest monthly total of anti-Christian hate crimes this year.
The watchdog said the repeated incidents “underline that many Christian communities are not facing isolated events but sustained patterns of hostility.”
OIDAC Europe recorded 12 arson-related attacks during June, describing arson as the most persistent trend during the first half of 2026. The report also documented nine cases of vandalism and eight cases of desecration, adding that churches and Christian symbols continued to be frequent targets of deliberate acts of destruction.
France recorded the highest number of anti-Christian hate crimes in June with 11, followed by Germany with eight and Italy with seven, according to OIDAC Europe.
Beyond attacks on churches and religious property, the report highlighted violence against individual Christians, including threats against a Catholic religion teacher who converted from Islam in Belgium, an assault on a parish priest in France, and an attack on a Christian street preacher in London. OIDAC Europe said such threats illustrate what it described as an underreported religious freedom concern.
OIDAC Europe regularly documents anti-Christian hate crimes and religious freedom concerns across Europe, compiling incidents reported by authorities, news outlets, and other publicly available sources.
