The Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians (OIDAC Europe) called on participating States of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to recognize and respond to anti-Christian hate crimes during the plenary session on tolerance and non-discrimination at the 2026 Warsaw Human Dimension Conference. OIDAC Europe’s Executive Director, Anja Tang, delivered the intervention during the conference’s fourth plenary session.

The numbers behind the appeal

OIDAC Europe said it identified more than 2,200 anti-Christian hate crimes across Europe in 2024, including more than 270 attacks against people. It added that in 2025, police data from France showed that physical violence targeting members of the Christian community doubled compared with the previous year, while attacks against clergy and other church officials increased fourfold.

“Yet these incidents are still too often overlooked because of the assumption that members of a majority religion cannot be victims of hate crime.”OIDAC Europe

A call to put ODIHR’s recommendations into practice

The group said these incidents are still too often overlooked because of the assumption that members of a majority religion cannot be victims of hate crime. Tang called on States to put the recommendations of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) into practice, which OIDAC Europe summarized in four steps:

Collect better data. Work with Christian communities and civil society. Support victims. Refrain from political rhetoric that reinforces prejudice against Christians.

Thanks to ODIHR

OIDAC Europe thanked ODIHR for its work to combat anti-religious hate crimes in a comprehensive manner, including its new guide, Understanding Anti-Christian Hate Crimes and Addressing the Security Needs of Christian Communities. The organization described this as an important part of protecting religious freedom for everyone.