Hundreds of churches across France have been targeted by anti-Christian “militants” who have set fire to places of worship, stolen property, and smeared feces on walls and crosses.
Figures released by French police revealed that a staggering 875 of France’s 42,258 churches were vandalized in 2018. A further 129 churches reported property theft, while up to 59 cemeteries were intentionally damaged.
In February alone, a record 47 documented attacks were reported on churches and religious sites in France.
Last month, Breitbart reported a dozen churches were desecrated across France over the period of just one week, with vandals damaging property, looting the main altar and painting crosses with human excrement.
Republicans MP Valerie Boyer told The Sun, “Every day, at least two churches are profaned.”
Les actes de profanation et de vandalisme dans les églises sont toujours hautement condamnables. Ils sont le triste reflet d’une civilisation malade qui se laisse emporter dans les filets du mal. Les évêques, les prêtres, les fidèles doivent garder la force et le courage. +RS pic.twitter.com/ePcX5KdKma
— Cardinal R. Sarah (@Card_R_Sarah) February 10, 2019
“There is a rising hostility in France against the church and its symbols,” Ellen Fantini, executive director of Observatory of Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe, told Newsweek. “It seems to be more against Christianity and the symbols of Christianity.”
According to Fantini, the pressure is coming from “radical secularists or anti-religion groups, as well as feminist activists who tend to target churches as a symbol of the patriarchy that needs to be dismantled.”
According to the Ministry of Interior, authorities recorded 1,063 anti-Christian acts last year. In contrast, anti-Muslim acts reached a record low since 2010, with a total of 100 acts.
