Report Records Anti-Christian Hate Crime in Europe

(December 11, 2010) A report released Friday documents several instances of anti-Christian hate crimes throughout Europe, as well as evidence of intolerance and discrimination. It calls for international action on behalf of Christians. The Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe released the five-year report on Friday. It was publicized to coincide with the two-day Human Dimension Implementation Meeting on Freedom of Religion of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, which ended on December 10^th in Vienna. The observatory's director, Gudrun Kugler, noted that "intolerance and discrimination against Christians includes the denial of rights of Christians, such as in the area of freedom of expression and freedom of conscience." She continued: "Religious freedom is endangered especially with regard to its public and its institutional dimension. We also receive many reports on the removal of Christian symbols, misrepresentation and negative stereotyping of Christians in the media, and social disadvantages for Christians, such as being ridiculed or overlooked for promotion in the workplace. We work toward greater awareness of a growing problem in Europe as a first step of a remedy," Kugler said. "Our goal is equal rights for all, including Christians." In the report's section on hate crimes involving violent attacks on Christian individuals, several instances were documented. Among these, it listed attacks on pro-life activists in Vienna last September, the beating of a Catholic priest as well as an Orthodox priest in Germany, a violent attack on four Franciscan monks in their monastery in Italy, and many other examples. The observatory published several recommendations to address these problems.