The Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe (OIDAC Europe) recently released its Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe 2025 report.

This year, the OIDAC Europe report presents two types of data: on anti-Christian hate crimes and social hostility in 2024; and on legal restrictions impacting the religious freedom rights of Christians in Europe between 2024 and 2025.

Anti-Christian hate crimes and social hostility

The report identified a total of 2,211 anti-Christian hate crimes across Europe in 2024. While most attacks targeted places of worship, 274 personal attacks, including incidents of physical violence and threats, were also recorded.

“This figure results from triangulating official police statistics, OSCE/ODIHR hate crime data, and records collected by OIDAC Europe”, explain the authors.

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There is a slight decrease compared to last year (2,444) due to incomplete UK police data (excluding London) and a temporary decrease in France, although figures from the first half of 2025 showed a renewed increase in incidents there.

Despite the general decrease, personal attacks rose from 232 in 2023 to 274 in 2024.

OIDAC Europe independently recorded 516 anti-Christian hate crimes in 2024, but when theft and break-ins at religious sites are included, that figure rises to 1,503 incidents.

“Alarmingly, 94 arson attacks were recorded—almost double the previous year’s total. One-third (33) of these occurred in Germany”, adds the report.

Furthermore, most anti-Christian hate crimes were recorded in France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, and Austria.

The most frequent form of anti-Christian violence was vandalism (50%), followed by arson attacks (15%), acts of desecration (13%), physical assaults (7.5%), theft of religious objects (5.5%), and threats (4%).

OIDAC Europe also recorded 12 terrorism-related incidents, including cases in Russia and Turkey. “These figures do not include monetary theft and break-ins at religious sites, which amounted to nearly 900 additional recorded cases”, states the report.

Legal and social restrictions

Beyond hate crimes, OIDAC Europe denounces that “in recent years, Christians in Europe have faced increasing restrictions on their religious freedom and, in some cases, even criminal prosecution for the peaceful expressions of their religious beliefs”.

Legal restrictions impacting the right to freedom of religion include “prohibitions on public prayer and religious manifestation, prosecutions for expressions of religious belief, interference in religious autonomy and parental rights, and limitations on the right to conscientious objection”.

The report mentions several examples of those restrictions, such as the prosecution of UK army veteran Adam Smith-Connor by a British court for praying near an abortion clinic, and the case of Finnish MP Päivi Räsänen , prosecuted for alleged “hate speech” after quoting a Bible verse on marriage in 2019.

It also shows concern because “biased media portrayals of Christians have increased in recent years”.

“While press freedom is essential to democratic societies, there is an urgent need for balanced, responsible reporting and greater awareness of how religious stereotyping in the media can undermine social cohesion and public safety”, stresses the OIDAC.

Recommendations for all

“As freedom of thought, conscience, and religion is a cornerstone of democratic society,we urge States not to compromise these rights, but to uphold and strengthen them—ensuring open, pluralistic, and peaceful societies across Europe. of these fundamental rights, and thus ensure an open and peaceful climate in our societies”, underlines the report.

In order to achive that, the OIDAC presents several recommendations for the European governments; the international human rights institutions;the European Union; journalists, opinion leaders, artists, and other public figures; and Christian churches and individuals.

You can read the full report here