On the occasion of the International Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Violence Based on Religion or Belief (Aug.22), a European watchdog warned of serious anti-Christian violence in Europe and called on governments to protect converts from Islam in particular. 

The Vienna-based Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe (OIDAC Europe) has reported an increase in anti-Christian hate crimes by 44%. 

Though the OIDAC Europe 2022/23 Annual Report reports the majority of the 749 cases of anti-Christian hate crimes were acts of vandalism or arson, the religious freedom watchdog noted a marked increase in violent attacks against individual people.     

Executive Director of OIDAC Europe, Anja Hoffmann, said the rising threats against Christians in countries across Europe are alarming and should not be overlooked, reported CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner.

Since the beginning of 2024, OIDAC Europe has documented 25 cases of violence, threats and attempted murder against Christians in Great Britain, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, Poland and Serbia.

In some cases, entire communities have been attacked. 

In June this year, there was an attack on a Seventh-day Adventist congregation in Dijon during a church service. The tear gas attack sparked panic and left nine people injured, the watchdog’s statement said.

Protection for converts from Islam

Hoffmann also highlighted the need to protect and support Christian converts from Islam who are viewed as “apostates.

The watchdog cited the example of a British court case that sentenced a man to life in prison for attempting to murder Javed Nouri, a Muslim convert to Christianity. According to the prosecutor, Alid considered Nouri an apostate and “therefore somebody who deserved to die.”

Hoffmann called on European governments to act: “The right to convert is an essential element of religious freedom. European governments must therefore do everything in their power to protect Christian converts with a Muslim background in particular, who are at high risk.”

German bishop calls on states to act

In an Aug. 22 press release, the German Bishops Conference deplored the steady increase of violence against Christians and people of other faiths. 

Bishop Bertram Meier of Augsburg in Bavaria, chairman of the German bishops’ Commission for the Universal Church, said governments and religious communities have to take on more responsibility and work together to curb the rise of religious violence. 

“All states have the responsibility to counteract violations of human rights and thus also religious freedom. Where this does not happen, or where the state itself attacks these rights, discrimination and ultimately violence, especially against religious minorities, are not far away,” insisted Meier. 

The International Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief was instituted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2019.

This article was originally published on CNA.