According to The Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe, there were more than 500 anti-Christian hate crimes in Europe last year, with many more unreported, CBN writes.

With 124 reports France had the largest number of anti-Christian hate crimes, followed by Germany (112), Italy (92), Poland (60) and the United Kingdom (40).

CBN provides a breakdown of the organization’s findings:

• “Anti-Christian hate crimes occurred in 19 European countries. There were 14 crimes of physical assault and 4 Christians were murdered for their faith.“
• “Confirmation of the increasing self-censorship by Christians, resulting in what is termed a “chilling effect.” 
• “Christians from various denominations were subject to negative stereotyping and insensitivity by the media and
  political groups. This trend emerged particularly in relation to Catholics in Spain.
• “Christian-led organizations were banned from social media platforms for expressing dissenting beliefs, while insult and violent speech against Christians were permitted on the same platforms.
• “Ambiguously-worded “hate speech” laws and public order legislation have undermined the right to Freedom of Speech, leading to several unjustified arrests of street preachers, mainly in the UK.“

READ: ‘Chilling Effect’ on Faith: 500+ Anti-Christian Hate Crimes in Europe, Many More Unreported