Eighty-six French senators have published a collective op-ed in the conservative press outlet Boulevard Voltaire calling for increased public vigilance to ensure the protection of French Christians, who are now despised and largely ignored.
In the first five months of 2025 alone, 322 anti-Christian acts were recorded—an increase of 13% over the same period last year.
Attacks are on the rise, as reported by local media outlets, “ranging from desecration and arson to physical assault.” Most of the time, these serious acts are only reported in small newspapers with limited circulation and very rarely attract the attention of national newspapers. Even the murder in Lyon of Ashur Sarnaya, an Iraqi Christian refugee, did not attract much attention.
Senators are alarmed by the widespread indifference that has accompanied this rise in violence, and by the selective outrage of the media. For example, a few weeks ago, the dumping of pigs’ heads in front of mosques received nationwide media coverage and strong protests from MPs and ministers.
Meanwhile, a statue of the Virgin Mary was set on fire during Mass on the Feast of the Nativity of Mary in Guingamp, Brittany, without anyone in the media batting an eyelid. The perpetrators of the pig desecration were tracked down in Serbia and arrested. The arsonists in Guingamp were not treated in the same way.
“Christians in France too often feel abandoned. We solemnly call on the government to act without delay,” the senators declared. No less than a quarter of senators signed this opinion piece, which appeared in a media outlet usually classified as ‘far right’ by the mainstream press. This is rare enough to be noteworthy. The initiative was proposed by Les Républicains senator Sylviane Noël and was supported by colleagues from both the Center and the Right.
On September 23rd, a member of parliament from the Rassemblement National (RN) drew the attention of Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin to the multiple acts of vandalism suffered by churches in France, some of which are architectural gems. There was no response. For the moment, the senators’ statement has also not elicited any reaction from the highest levels of government.
