Paris: In an unprecedented public appeal, 86 French senators have denounced the alarming rise of anti-Christian violence in France and urged the government to take immediate measures to protect believers and places of worship.
Led by Sen. Sylviane Noël of Haute-Savoie, the statement, published on the conservative website Boulevard Voltaire, warns of growing attacks against churches and Christians and criticizes what the senators describe as official indifference.
“Not a week goes by without the regional daily press or social media informing us of these attacks, ranging from desecration and arson to physical assault,” the appeal states.
Citing official data, the senators note that 322 anti-Christian acts were recorded in the first five months of 2025 alone, marking a 13% increase from the same period in 2024. Theft of liturgical objects has also surged by over 20% in two years, with 820 cases reported in 2024 compared to 633 in 2022.
The appeal highlights emblematic incidents, including the vandalism of 27 churches in the Landes region and the defilement of a cross in Nice. It also recalls the tragic murder of Ashur Sarnaya, a 45-year-old Assyro-Chaldean Christian refugee from Iraq, who was killed while livestreaming on social media on September 10.
“Today, we solemnly call on the government to act without delay,” the senators wrote, urging the creation of a national reporting and support system for victims of anti-Christian acts, similar to mechanisms already in place for antisemitic and anti-Muslim incidents.
The senators also criticized political and media circles for what they see as a disparity in attention toward attacks on Christians compared with other faiths, citing as an example the muted response to the burning of a Virgin Mary statue in Guingamp versus the strong public outrage over pig heads left outside Paris mosques.
The statement emphasizes that France’s core values of liberty, equality, and fraternity must apply to all believers. “Liberty requires that every citizen be able to practice his or her faith without fear of threats or desecrations,” the senators said. “Equality demands that the state deploy the same means of protection for all. Fraternity obliges us to recognize that when a believer is wounded, it is the entire national community that is affected.”
The debate over Christian expression has also resurfaced in the controversy surrounding the film Sacré Cœur, which recounts the 350-year devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The film’s promotional posters were reportedly refused by national railway companies, citing state secularism, prompting widespread backlash and highlighting perceived marginalization of Christianity in public life.