PARIS - Attacks on Christians in France surged 70% last year, including a doubling of physical assaults against members of the Christian community and church leaders, according to a new report from the French government’s Interior Ministry.
The Interior Ministry found that 53% of all anti-religious acts recorded in France in 2025 targeted Jewish people, synagogues, and communities, while 34% of reported anti-religious attacks were directed against Christians and church buildings. The report documented a sharp rise in disruptions of religious services and threats against worshippers alongside the spike in physical violence.
The findings, reported by Worthy News and highlighted by the persecution-monitoring group International Christian Concern, represent what ICC described as “clear evidence that Jews and Christians are facing the largest number of reported abuse and attacks in France during the last year.” The scale of the increase places France among the most acute religious-freedom flashpoints in Western Europe.
The Interior Ministry report traces the escalation in anti-Jewish violence in particular to the period following the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas against Israel. ICC warned that the growing intolerance, discrimination, and violence against Jews and Christians in France “should send warning signals to other nations facing similar spikes against these communities.”
France has the largest Jewish population in Europe and one of the continent’s oldest Christian communities. The combined 87% share of anti-religious acts directed at Jews and Christians — 53% and 34% respectively — leaves only a narrow fraction attributed to attacks on other religious groups, underscoring the concentrated nature of the hostility.
The Interior Ministry has not announced specific new enforcement measures in response to the report. French lawmakers are expected to address the findings during upcoming parliamentary sessions on domestic security.