SW News: Vienna-based Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe has come out with a disturbing report that points out the rise in the number of hate crimes against Christians in five prominent European nations.

The report entitled “Under Pressure: Human Rights of Christians in Europe” says that hate crimes targeting Christians have gone up by 70 per cent in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, and Sweden between 2019 and 2020. It cites a “rising phenomenon” of harassment and violence toward Christians.

Blame it on both secularist and Islamist ideologies, there is a subtle and explicit discrimination against believers in these countries. According to the report, “The negation of a public voice is mainly based on strong and sometimes even extreme opposition to Christian morals derived from core beliefs. In some cases, it does not stop at negation, but goes even further toward a criminalization of public or even private opinions.”

While releasing the report on December 7, Madeleine Enzlberger, executive director of the observatory, said that the hate crimes take various forms, such as "anti-religious motivated attacks against churches and Christian buildings and even anti-Christian hate crimes against individuals”. It also extends to the progressive restricting or contestation of fundamental rights, such as freedom of expression, freedom of religion, freedom of conscience, contractual freedom or parental rights.

The report finds that the Catholics were most attacked in traditionally Catholic countries of France and Spain. Along with the desecration and vandalism of Catholic Churches and establishments, the report also cites instances of physical attack, including worshippers killed while visiting churches. While both Catholics and non-Catholics were victims of attacks in Germany and the United Kingdom, secularization in Sweden resulted in the rise of “no-platforming” in which Christian students are banned from hosting faith events or speakers.