A French church was the target of an arson attack
On the night of September 1st, a 29-year-old man set fire to the sacristy of the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Saint-Omer. The flames quickly spread to the naves and eventually engulfed the entire church, resulting in the complete destruction of the bell tower and roof.
After several hours of intense firefighting by 120 firefighters, the blaze was brought under control. Thirty-four people were evacuated from the surrounding area. The parish priest bravely entered the burning church to rescue the consecrated hosts, stating afterward, “I wanted to evacuate the Blessed Sacrament.” He successfully accomplished this without injury to himself.
News reports indicate that the suspect, an “ultra-left Antifa activist,” and is known for following anti-racist and Islamic content and has shown anti-Christian and pro-ISIS tendencies. He was taken into police custody on Monday evening and was already known to authorities for similar offenses. He has previously attempted to set fire to 15 churches and has been convicted 25 times.
In 2023, the French Ministry of the Interior recorded nearly 1,000 anti-Christian hate crimes, with 90% of these targeting churches and cemeteries. The Ministry also documented 84 personal attacks on Christians motivated by anti-religious sentiment.
Source: lemonde.fr
