CHRISTIAN REPORT: Muslim youths stormed Montfavet church in Avignon on Saturday after evening Mass, shouting ‘Allahu Akbar,’ ‘Jesus, we’re f**king you,’ and threatening to burn the church down

A group of young men stormed the Montfavet church in Avignon on Saturday evening, shouting, ‘Allahu Akbar’ and threatening to burn the church down, an act of intimidation that forced police to guard the building during Sunday morning Mass.

The incident occurred shortly after 7:30 p.m., just as the evening Mass had ended. According to Fr. Laurent Milan, the parish priest, the confrontation began when a teenage boy arrived at the church claiming he wanted to convert.

Soon after, around 10 others followed, some stating they were Muslims and asking to come inside.

According to reports by La Provence, the group quickly turned aggressive. ‘One of them began running around. They gathered around the priest and started hurling insults. It was chaos. We struggled to get them out,’ one parishioner told the French news outlet.

According to Fr. Milan, the young men hurled explicit insults targeting Christianity and made repeated threats.

‘They didn’t insult me directly, but they shouted things like, ‘Jesus, we’re f***ing you,’. ‘They were shouting ‘Allahu Akbar,’ and told us several times, ‘We’re going to come back and burn your church.’‘

The priest filed a police complaint that same night, and five witnesses are understood to have already spoken to law enforcement.

A police source confirmed an investigation is underway for ‘non-public insults because of religion’ and ‘threats of dangerous destruction to persons.’

A damning report highlights growing intolerance and violence against Christians in Europe

Anti-Christian hate crimes and discrimination are surging across Europe, with a new report documenting over 2,400 incidents in 2023, highlighting growing intolerance and restrictions on religious freedom

A new report from the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe (OIDAC Europe) has sounded the alarm about escalating violence and discrimination faced by Christians across the continent.

In 2023, 2,444 anti-Christian hate crimes were documented across 35 European countries.

These crimes ranged from vandalism and arson to physical violence and restrictions on religious freedoms. The findings reveal a concerning trend that has left Christian communities throughout Europe feeling increasingly vulnerable.

The report published on Friday highlighted France, the U.K., and Germany as areas of particular concern.

France recorded nearly 1,000 hate crimes last year, making it the most affected country. The incidents included the desecration of churches and cemeteries, with at least 84 direct attacks on individuals.

Meanwhile, the U.K. experienced over 700 incidents, a 15 per cent increase compared to the previous year. One high-profile case involved the conviction of an individual for silently praying outside an abortion clinic, illustrating the growing tension around public expressions of faith.

In Germany, there was a concerning 105 per cent increase in anti-Christian hate crimes, climbing from 135 in 2022 to 277 in 2023. Churches were frequent targets, with vandalism and property damage often unreported in official statistics, according to the report.

Estimates suggest that at least 2,000 cases of property damage against religious institutions went unnoticed due to the lack of a clear political motive.

The report outlines the various forms these attacks have taken. Vandalism accounts for the majority, making up 62 per cent of incidents, followed by arson, threats, and physical violence. A small percentage of cases even involved attempted or completed murders.

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The growing self-censorship among Christians in Europe was also highlighted as an equally concerning issue. For the first time since records began in 1953, more Christians report feeling they must be cautious when speaking about their faith than those who feel free to express it openly.

This shift marks a dramatic change from 1981, when 83 per cent of Christians said they felt no barriers to discussing their beliefs. Now, only 40 per cent feel the same way.

Compounding the issue are restrictions on religious freedoms imposed by some European governments. Beyond high-profile legal cases like the U.K. prayer conviction, bans on religious processions and other policies have disproportionately affected Christians.

Moves to secularize traditional Christian holidays have also become more frequent, and despite falling under the threshold of a hate crime, it is indicative of a gradual move away from Christian values.

Experts warn that the real scale of the problem is far greater than official statistics suggest. Regina Polak, OSCE’s special representative for combating racism, xenophobia, and discrimination, described anti-Christian hate crimes as a ‘message of exclusion’ that impacts not only the victims but society as a whole.

OIDAC Managing Director Anja Hoffmann echoed this concern, emphasising the significant number of unreported cases. She urged governments to take more proactive measures to protect Christian communities and ensure that hate crimes are accurately documented and addressed. TELL US WHAT YOU THINK

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