Christians attacked across OSCE region

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· The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe has published a report on hate crimes against Christians in 46 countries in 2022.

· The publication includes reports of cases recorded by the Ordo Iuris Institute.

· Situations described included assaulting and threatening to kill Catholic priests, acts of vandalism, disrupting a mass or attack with a dangerous instrument.

· The OSCE report takes into account 82 hate crimes against Christians in Poland reported by social organisations.

Hate crimes are influenced by a number of factors, including the minority or majority status of a territory, the level of recognition of particular religious groups in a country or the attitude of political groups and the media towards Christians. The OSCE report on hate crimes includes reports of physical assaults and murders. The publication also indicates that graffiti and vandalism against places of worship, desecration of cemeteries and arson of churches are among the most common types of crimes motivated by prejudice against Christians.

The report also takes into account hate crimes committed in Poland, including, among others, physical attacks on clergy reported by the Ordo Iuris Institute. One incident involved a man who attacked a vicarage in Dolice at night. The perpetrator destroyed the gates, entrance doors, thermal insulation and facades of the vicarage building. Death threats were directed towards the priests. An equally dangerous situation occurred in a church in Zabrze, when the celebration of evening Mass was disrupted. During the Eucharist in progress there, two men entered the church. One of them set off a firecracker in front of the altar in the presence of the priest and praying worshippers. The report also describes an attack by a man armed with a knife on the bishop's driver during an official canonical visit to Myślenice. The attacker dealt the driver several blows with a sharp instrument and then fled the scene. The injured man was transported to hospital in serious condition.

The report shows that in 2022, there were 8106 hate crime incidents targeting individuals and institutions in 46 countries in Europe. This compares to 6391 crimes in 2021, an increase of almost 27%. In 2022, 852 hate crimes were committed against Christians. This compares to 775 acts in 2021, a noticeable increase of almost 10%.

In the case of Poland, the OSCE reports that official police statistics show that 1180 hate crimes were reported in 2022. This compares to 991 reported crimes in 2021, an increase of 18%. In addition to police statistics, the report takes into account crimes reported by NGOs. Moreover, the recent underreporting of hate crimes can also be observed due to a worrying trend indicating the indifference of Polish society to statements and behaviour that offend Christians, including from politicians or media representatives. The authors of the report also found that in Poland, despite the July 2022 amendment of the Penal Code, as well as training courses organised by the National School of Judiciary and Public Prosecution for representatives of the judiciary, it is still difficult for individuals to distinguish between hate crimes and other crimes. Therefore, according to the OSCE, there is a need for further training of police officers and prosecutors in this area.

The Ordo Iuris Institute has been conducting a programme of monitoring hate crime cases in Poland since 2015. In May 2023, the Institute submitted a report to the OSCE listing 77 cases of religiously motivated aggression against Christians in Poland. In addition, the Centre for Religious Freedom was established in 2018 with the aim of collecting information on cases of religious freedom violations as well as legal intervention.