It is a trend that has just been denounced in a press release by the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe (OIDAC-Europe), an NGO based in Vienna, Austria
On August 22, 2024, while the Church celebrated the Immaculate Heart of Mary, OIDAC-Europe participated in the International Day in Memory of Victims of Violence Based on Religion or Faith.
A day that ended with a soothing statement from the Secretary-General of the United Nations, in which Antonio Gutierrez deplored that “all over the world, individuals and communities are confronted with violence based on religion or beliefs,” according to Information Service Vienna.
A way of glossing over the fact that Christians are generally paying the heaviest price for religious persecution.
To re-establish a truth highlighted by the figures, Anja Hoffmann, a member of OIDAC-Europe, spoke at the end of the day, recalling “the 2022/2023 annual report published by her organization” and to which this site devoted an article in December 2023: it highlights a “44% increase in anti-Christian hate crimes,” reports Omnes Mag.
The executive director mentioned more recent data that will be used in the future annual report: the situation of Christians in Europe appears to be increasingly precarious, since “twenty-five cases of direct physical violence and attempted murder against Christians because of their faith” have been reported to OIDAC-Europe, reports the religious information site Omnes.
“The countries on the European continent where these attacks are most numerous are the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Poland, and Serbia,” cites the same site: proof that insecurity, far from being a simple feeling that Christians might experience, has become a reality for those who profess faith in Jesus Christ.
Contrary to popular belief, the head of OIDAC-Europe insists that the majority of anti-Christian atrocities are “perpetrated by members of far-left groups, feminists or radicalized members of the ‘LGBT community.’”
And it noted that these criminal actions are becoming almost “normal,” given the publicity they are being given on social networks, and this with complete impunity.
Finally, Anja Hoffmann emphasizes that the actions that OIDAC has reported are only the tip of the iceberg, “the few resources we have and the lack of means made available to report anti-Christian acts, make us think that this problem remains greatly underestimated,” still quoting Omnes.
Among the proposed measures, OIDAC asks the European media to better report on anti-Christian hate crimes: a pious wish, as far as the public service media in France are concerned, for one example, where the treatment of subjects related to the Church and Christianity leaves much to be desired, to use a mild euphemism.