Media not cover extent of incidences
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(Pixabay)
(CHRISTIAN POST) – Anti-Christian hate crimes in Europe including arson, vandalism, threats, physical assaults, and even murder showed a collective increase in 2022 The Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe has revealed in a new report.
The observatory which is based in Vienna, Austria, and has been tracking hate crimes against Christians in Europe over the last decade, highlighted in their 2022/23 Annual Report a total of 749 documented hate crimes against Christians in 30 European countries in 2022. These crimes include 38 physical assaults and three murders. From 2021 to 2022, the observatory documented 519 hate crimes against Christians in Europe.“There is a reasonable probability for higher dark numbers, due to limited reporting on anti-Christian hate crimes, the ‘chilling effect’ among victims, and the lack of media coverage,” researchers said.An increasing trend in hate crimes against Christians perpetrated by radicalized members of ideological, political, or religious groups that follow an anti-Christian narrative was also highlighted as Christians faced infringement on their religious freedoms through new laws regulating speech in public.
“The right to freedom of speech continues to be a highly debated issue, as new laws are seeking to regulate speech in the public sphere, and some even in the private sphere. New ‘buffer zones’ around abortion clinics are one form of state regulation that has led to the criminalization of Christians for praying silently on the street,” the report said.
“The religious freedom of Christians has also been affected through other legal developments, such as vaguely formulated and overreaching laws that would criminalize parents, pastors, and teachers if they express dissenting opinions regarding LGBTIQ-related discussions or discourage their children from undergoing ‘hormone therapies’ because of their religious convictions.”
The agenda against Christians in Europe is also seen in efforts to remove conscience clauses from legislation in the medical space that “put Christians who refuse to participate in controversial practices for reasons or religious conscience in vulnerable positions.”