France is seeing a rise in anti-Christian violence

Throughout the last few weeks, French churchgoers and leaders from Catholic, Protestant, Jewish and Muslim denominations have noted an increase in frequency and intensity of anti-religious sentiment and violence, per The Christian Post.
In particular, anti-Christian hate crimes are rising at greater rates than before.
On recent occasions, small mobs, comprised mainly of young men, have robbed and vandalized churches, synagogues and mosques. A tabernacle was broken open and a eucharist stolen from a church in Saint-Aygulf. Vandals defaced a Christian church and cemetery in Clermont d'Excidueil with Muslim slogans.
Some pastors have reported that the attacks have not been personally directed toward members of the congregations. Rather, they have been directed at the faith itself. Christianity constituted 31% of religiously-motivated offenses in France in 2024; antisemitic attacks made up 62% and anti-Islamic attacks made up 7%.
A European watchdog group documented nearly 2,500 instances of hate crimes against European Christians in 2024, with about 1,000 of those attacks occurring in France. Attacks included instances of discrimination, individual assaults, bomb threats, arson and more.
The United Kingdom followed closely behind France, with 702 anti-Christian hate crimes reported, and Germany at 277. Each country noted a dramatic increase in the rate of such crimes.

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New York Post

an hour ago

• New York Post

How Fox News' Gianno Caldwell sought justice for his murdered brother

The day my little brother was murdered in 2022, he was standing with friends on a street in the Morgan Park community on the South Side of Chicago when a black SUV pulled up and several men got out with various guns and opened fire indiscriminately. For a heartbeat, time seemed to pause, the world holding its breath in confusion. 9 Author Gianno Caldwell (r) with his brother Christian, who was killed by gunfire in Chicago in 2022. Caldwell's new book details the philanthropists and politicians whose failed leadership allowed Christian's murder to happen. Courtesy of Gianno Caldwell Then came the recognition — the burst of defensive moves and noise; the staccato crack-crack-crack, harsh and unnatural against the night. People screamed, the sound primal and raw, as the crowd scattered. Advertisement The SUV now sped away, its engine roaring, leaving behind more cries and glittering fragments of shattered glass. Some 50 shell casings were found on the street, and bullets went through the windows of nearby houses. Three in the crowd were rushed to the hospital; only two survived. Christian had just turned 18 years old. He loved school and sports and was excited about starting college. So much so that he and I had taken the tour at the University of California, Los Angeles, when he was just 16. His future was very bright. 9 Author Caldwell testifying before Congress about Chicago's gun violence epidemic in 2022. C-SPAN Advertisement The police tell me Christian was not the intended target. He just happened to be standing in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was part of a legacy now. Slaughtered. Another innocent victim of America's ongoing violence. And my family was now part of this terrible escalating pattern. 'Heartbroken' isn't enough. My family's hearts were shattered. I was — and remain — devastated and beyond understanding. My grief was quickly accompanied by a burning need to learn more, to uncover why things like Christian's murder happen far too often. To know how our laws, institutions and societal values perpetuate tragedies like his. To ensure that others never experience the same loss my family has and that justice truly serves the people it should protect. 9 Billionaire investor George Soros has donated tens of millions of dollars to ultra-progressive causes — with a special focus on elections for local prosecutors. AP I met with hundreds of other experts on these issues as I wrote the book 'The Day My Brother Was Murdered.' From district attorneys and congressmen to community organizers, gang members and families, like my own, too often left behind in the wake of violence. I've traveled our country, the world even, to uncover the roots of the violence that claimed my brother's life and to explore all avenues for meaningful reform. Advertisement The name George Soros came up often in my conversations. 9 Open Society Foundations, the primary Soros philanthropic vehicle. Soros — who made billions as an investor and financier — is a prominent supporter of progressive causes and the number one political donor in the United States. In total, he has contributed more than $30 billion to liberal causes and candidates. Nearly 10 years ago, Soros first began to channel millions into local district attorney campaigns across the county. These sums far exceeded the total spent on the 2016 presidential campaign by all but a few superdonors. Soros understands that focusing on local politics will eventually bring about the national changes he and his collaborators champion: drug legalization, open borders and mass immigration, the erosion of national sovereignty, the demise of capitalism as we know it and, of course, soft-on-crime policies and bail reform. Advertisement His efforts have negatively impacted my family at a personal level. The former Cook County state's attorney Kim Foxx, for instance, has been funded by Soros — and her far-left, soft-on-crime policies have contributed to the death and violent crime epidemic in Chicago. I hold her and former mayor Lori Lightfoot responsible for my brother's murder. In 2023, I testified before a House Judiciary Committee focused on Chicago's crime problem. Afterwards, Foxx told the press she was sorry for my brother's murder. She should be sorry. Not just about Christian, but the countless others who are being slaughtered. And it's not just Foxx. 9 Caldwell believes that Kim Fox, the Cook County Prosecutor, is directly responsible for his brother's death owing to her departments' lax enforcement efforts. AP It's Larry Krasner in Philadelphia. It was George Gascón in Los Angeles. Chesa Boudin in San Francisco. It was Kim Gardner in St. Louis. It's Alvin Bragg in New York. They are all around the country — and they all have one thing in common: they were all financially supported by George Soros. Interesting how people like Soros, Fox, Lightfoot, Newsom, Pelosi, Biden . . . all have these grandiose ideas on making America 'more just' but do so behind professional security guards and gated communities. Security, in many cases, paid for by taxpayers. Through his primary philanthropy vehicle, Open Society Foundations, Soros has impacted American politics on a national level for years. But the local level is where he has done the most damage. An elected prosecutor is an extremely powerful position in this country. Soros very smartly understood you can spend tens of millions of dollars on a presidential race or millions on a US Senate race. But by spending just a fraction of that on a local prosecutor race, you may be able to effect more of the change you seek. And so he poured resources into local prosecutor races all over the country. 9 Caldwell also believes former Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot is equally responsible. Getty Images Advertisement We cannot ignore the shadow that crime casts over our everyday lives. It's not just the statistics, the headlines, or the body counts — it's the sheer fact that crime strikes at the very foundation of what it means to live freely. It is about good people, minding their business, walking to work, riding the subway, or going to the store in neighborhoods they've called home for years — only to find themselves at risk of harm. When that happens, when danger creeps into the places we know and love, society itself begins to erode. If we can't keep crime in check, we lose the glue that holds us together — the trust, the freedom and the simple right to feel safe. A single act of crime reverberates, making us question not just our safety, but our place in the world. I moved to Miami in the spring of 2020. Los Angeles, where I had lived since 2017, was looking more and more like my hometown of Chicago. The shootings. Carjackings. Homeless camps. Drug dealers and addicts roaming the streets. The gangs. Leadership in LA was far more interested in whether or not you were wearing a mask or standing on a beach than in its rising rates of property and violent crime. I packed up my things. 9 Miami Mayor Francis X. Suarez, whom Caldwell believes is helping to lead Florida's push toward ensuring rule of law in the state. DAX TAMARGO/Shutterstock Advertisement One of the reasons I chose Florida, and Miami especially, is that the leadership there is doing all the right things when it comes to law and order. 'It's a tale between two types of cities,' says Miami mayor Francis Suarez, who has held the position since 2017. 'Where elected officials believe that the rule of law and public safety are the foundations of a free and prosperous society, versus other types of cities where elected officials fail to uphold the law, refuse to enforce the law, and blame those who follow the law, from police to small businesses, as the causes of crime.' It helps that the mayor can count on support from Florida's governor and state attorney general. Gov. Ron DeSantis cautions that prosecutors in his state don't get to 'pick and choose which law that they enforce. If you disagree with a law, run for the legislature and change it, but you don't get to be a law unto yourself.' Advertisement Crime is at a 50-year low in Florida, with overall crime down by nearly 10% compared to 2021. Murder is down by 14%; burglary is down by 15%. It's one of the few places in the nation that can truly claim meaningful reductions in crime. While Democrats focus their attention on abortion, transgender rights and condemning Israel, the other party works to make sure I can take my family to lunch downtown without fear of being carjacked or shot. 'A permissive society is not a civilized society,' Suarez warns of our other once-great cities. 'It's a decaying one.' People here are less likely to commit a crime in Florida because they know they will get caught. They know the police are everywhere — and the prosecutors will lock them up. 9 Gianno Caldwell and Pres. Trump. Courtesy of Gianno Caldwell Advertisement Suarez provides the simplest path to our salvation. 'If mayors are held responsible for the crime levels in their cities, then we should also hold district attorneys accountable in every local race where it affects their citizens and the quality of life in their cities.' Fund and train our police. Enforce already-existing laws. Secure our southern border and dismantle the gangs. Focus resources, from money to time, on organizations already addressing the root causes of crime. Treat mental health and addiction as the diseases they are, not as a crime after the fact. These are all solutions that have worked in our past. We already know the ways to a safer society. Gianno Caldwell is a political analyst for Fox News channel and the founder of the Caldwell Institute for Public Safety. He is the author of the new book 'The Day My Brother Was Murdered: My Journey Through America's Violent Crime Crisis' (Broadside Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, copyright 2025 by Gianno Caldwell), from which this essay is adapted.

Newsweek

3 hours ago

• Newsweek

Arab World Reacts to U.S. Strikes on Iran

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Arab countries, staunch U.S. allies among them, expressed strong concern over the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites as the United States joined Israel in attacking them. Newsweek contacted the U.S. State Department for comment. Why It Matters The reaction of Arab states matters for relations with the United States and for the wider question of diplomacy in the Middle East at the time of its greatest upheaval in decades. While Arab countries may seek to distance themselves from the attacks, however, this does not mean they would want to rupture the important security relationships that many of them have with the United States and President Donald Trump. What To Know Saudi Arabia, which was the first foreign destination for Trump in his second presidency, was among the first to criticize the U.S. strikes on three nuclear sites. Saudi Arabia said it was following the developments with deep concern and reiterated the denunciation it had made over what it had called Israel's violation of Iran's sovereignty. The sun sets near a mosque in Doha on June 21, 2025. The sun sets near a mosque in Doha on June 21, 2025. Photo by KARIM JAAFAR/AFP via Getty Images "The Kingdom underscores the need to exert all possible efforts to exercise restraint, de-escalate tensions, and avoid further escalation," the Saudi foreign ministry said. "The Kingdom also calls on the international community to intensify its efforts during this highly sensitive period to reach a political solution that would bring an end to the crisis and open a new chapter for achieving security and stability in the region." Saudi Arabia is one of the most influential countries in the region as the world's top oil exporter and is home to the holiest Muslim sites. Predominantly Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia, which was long at odds with largely Shiite Iran, has been seen as a potential candidate to join Trump's Abraham Accords peace deals between some Muslim countries and Israel, but this has been thrown into doubt by the current conflicts. "The current dangerous tension in the region could lead to catastrophic consequences at both the regional and international levels," said the foreign ministry of Qatar, which is home to the biggest U.S. air base in the Middle East and has played an important role in trying to broker a ceasefire and hostage for prisoner exchanges between Israel and Hamas. Statement | Qatar Regrets the Deterioration of the Situation with the Strikes on Iranian Nuclear Facilities#MOFAQatar — Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Qatar (@MofaQatar_EN) June 22, 2025 "Diplomacy and Dialogue" The United Arab Emirates, whose leaders are also close to Trump, expressed profound concern over the regional tensions and the targeting of Iranian nuclear facilities. "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) stressed the importance of prioritizing diplomacy and dialogue to resolve disputes, through comprehensive approaches that promote stability, prosperity, and justice," its foreign ministry said. Egypt, the Middle East's most populous country and a major recipient of U.S. military aid, expressed grave concern over the attacks. "Egypt affirms its rejection of any violation of the United Nations Charter and international law and emphasizes the necessity of respecting state sovereignty," its foreign ministry said. Other countries voicing similar sentiments included Iraq, Oman and Lebanon. What People Are Saying Saudi Foreign Ministry: "The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is following with deep concern the developments in the Islamic Republic of Iran, particularly the targeting of Iranian nuclear facilities by the United States of America." UAE Foreign Ministry: "The Ministry urged the United Nations and the UN Security Council to uphold their responsibilities through serious efforts to address the region's long-standing issues, which now stand at a critical juncture and pose an increasing threat to regional and international peace and security." Egyptian Foreign Ministry: "Egypt reiterates its warning of the dangers of the region sliding into further chaos and tension. It affirms that political solutions and diplomatic negotiations, not military action, are the only path toward resolving the crisis and achieving a lasting settlement." U.S. President Donald Trump: "Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated. Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace." What Happens Next Despite their criticism of the U.S. attacks, the reactions from Arab countries could also be seen as limited in their responses — distancing themselves from attacks that could draw Iranian responses and prioritising dialogue and diplomacy rather than calling for any more direct action against the United States.

Atlantic

4 hours ago

• Atlantic

Latinos Vote Differently Under Threat

Recently, in Los Angeles, protesters waving Mexican flags amid burning vehicles and law enforcement in riot gear have resurrected memories of 1994, when similar scenes defined Latino political identity for a generation. During that year's movement against California Proposition 187, which sought to bar undocumented immigrants from accessing education, health care, and social services, Latino citizens banded together with recent arrivals of varying legal status in solidarity. This was a catalyzing moment that spurred many Latinos not only in California, but across the country, to understand themselves as an aggrieved ethnic minority, and to vote as a bloc. Now, three decades later, something similar might be taking place. The escalation of immigration raids around Los Angeles and Donald Trump's deployment of military forces—over Governor Gavin Newsom's objection—to quell anti-ICE protests have heightened fears among many Latinos that they are under systemic attack. The forcible removal of Senator Alex Padilla from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's press conference after he tried to ask her about ICE raids has only added to the unease. Even though many social metrics suggest that Latinos are assimilating into the U.S. mainstream, the MAGA movement keeps reminding them that it does not consider them fully American. On Friday, Vice President J. D. Vance, who served in the Senate with Padilla, mocked him and called him 'José Padilla.' Out of dissatisfaction with the economy under Joe Biden, more Latinos voted for Trump in November than in his two previous bids. That historic showing was widely viewed as a turn away from ethnic politics. The reality is more nuanced: Latinos have always been primarily focused on economic issues, but they will coalesce as an ethnic voting bloc when they sense a serious threat to their community. American Latinos are a diverse group. Many see themselves as a mainstay of the country's working class and as strivers eager to build a better life for their family. Latinos responded strongly to the Trumpist GOP's economic populism. Last year, Latino voters told pollsters that issues such as inflation, jobs, and housing costs were their highest priorities; immigration was farther down the list. The overwhelming majority of Latino voters today were born in the United States; from 2002 to 2022, the proportion of newly registered Latino voters in Los Angeles County who were foreign-born dropped from 54 percent to less than 9 percent. This helps explain why immigration issues resonated less among Latinos in November than at any other point in the past three decades. NBC News exit polls estimated that 46 percent of Latinos voted for Trump last year, up from 32 percent in 2020. Other researchers estimated that Trump improved his standing among Latino men by 35 points, narrowly winning the demographic. The rightward shift wasn't an abandonment of Latino identity; it was an expression of these voters' sense of what they, and people like them, want from their government. Aspiring Latino families, hit hard by inflation and housing costs, responded to promises of economic relief. Since Trump's inauguration, his support among Latinos has dropped—a trend that was first detectable after the president's 'Liberation Day' tariff announcements sapped consumer confidence and cast global financial markets into chaos. In a mid-April poll of Latino voters, 60 percent said that Trump and congressional Republicans were not focusing on bringing down the cost of everyday goods, and 66 percent thought that tariffs would raise prices and hurt their economic security. Read: Why did Latinos vote for Trump? Now Trump's immigration crackdown in California and elsewhere is undoubtedly adding to his declining position among Latinos. According to a poll last month, Latino respondents agreed by a 66–29 margin that Trump's 'actions are going too far and targeting the types of immigrants who strengthen our nation.' When immigration enforcement is perceived as targeting entire communities rather than focusing narrowly on dangerous criminals, it activates deeper questions about belonging and acceptance in American society. When that happens, the effects can be long-lasting. In 1994, Proposition 187's anti-immigrant provisions generated massive Latino turnout against Republicans, fundamentally reshaping the state's political landscape to Democrats' advantage. In the midterms of 2018, Trump's immigration rhetoric and family-separation policies drove another wave of Latino political mobilization, contributing to Democratic gains across the country. That year, in the midst of ICE raids in communities, Latino voters increased voter turnout to its highest level in midterm history; they cast ballots against Republicans by an equally historic margin. The recent L.A. protests represent a potential third such moment. The rough treatment of Padilla, a California native of Mexican ancestry, at Noem's press conference exemplified how Trump's moves against immigrants could bring harm to U.S.-born Latinos as well. In a fiery Senate speech days after Homeland Security agents pushed him to the floor and handcuffed him, Padilla focused mostly on the Trump administration's extreme and un-American use of executive power. Yet he was implicitly making another point: Not even an MIT graduate who is a U.S. senator for his home state has a secure seat at the American table. Padilla is separated by a generation from the immigrant experience, but he was still forced out of an event in a government building. Recent events are resonating with Latinos outside California—even in South Florida, where Cuban Americans are a core Republican constituency. In October, Florida International University's poll of likely Cuban American voters in Miami-Dade County reported that 68 percent intended to vote for Trump, by far the largest level of support for him on record. Yet Trump's recent immigration actions—including his decision to end the humanitarian parole program for Cubans, revoking temporary legal status for thousands of immigrants—are testing these loyalties. 'This is not what we voted for,' State Senator Ileana Garcia, a co-founder of Latinas for Trump, declared on X earlier this month. Across the country, Latino votes are very much in play. Fully one-third of all Latino voters today were not even alive when Proposition 187 was on the ballot. As images of federal agents confronting Latino protesters spread across social media and prompt kitchen-table conversations, the question isn't whether Latinos will remain politically engaged; it's which party will better understand the full dimensions of Latino political identity. Democrats cannot assume Latino support based solely on opposition to harsh immigration policies, and Republicans cannot maintain Latino voters through economic appeals alone if those same voters feel that their communities are under siege.