Right photo: Alter Markt in Berlin, the day after the Christmas market attack, showing security barriers during a press briefing. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
In addition to terrorist attacks and attempted attacks by Islamic extremists, Christmas celebrations in Europe have been affected by disruptions at Christmas markets and vandalism of churches and nativity scenes.
In Germany, several incidents drew attention in late 2024. A video filmed in Hamburg in October showed a pro-Palestinian demonstration using loudspeakers near Christmas market areas. In Essen, between December 8 and 10, thousands of Syrians marched through a Christmas market after the fall of Assad, chanting and waving Syrian flags as they passed through the city center.
Confirmed incidents of vandalism targeting churches and nativity scenes were reported across Europe in late 2024 and 2025. In Erbach, Germany, on November 30, 2025, a living nativity was vandalized. Perpetrators assaulted two donkeys used in the display, damaged decorations and electrical equipment, vandalized church property, and defecated inside the church. A witness intervened, and the animals were relocated.
The same individuals were suspected of damaging the town’s Christmas market earlier that day and a local Protestant church earlier in the week.
In Amiens, France, a nativity scene that had been displayed for approximately 30 years was vandalized overnight between November 25 and 26, 2025. Protective plexiglass was smashed, several wooden figures were overturned and shattered, and the baby Jesus figure was damaged, with its head reported to have been detached.
In Brussels, Belgium, the cloth head of a baby Jesus figure was stolen from a nativity scene in the Grand Place at the city’s Christmas market. The display, which featured faceless figures, had drawn controversy prior to the theft. Mayor Philippe Close said the figures were designed without faces to honor the city’s “multicultural heritage” and to be “inclusive for everyone.” Following the theft, “Free Palestine” was spray-painted on the nativity tent.
In Trieste, Italy, vandals broke the head off a shepherd statue at a nativity display in the town square. Surveillance footage showed two men climbing a fence, mocking the display, taking photos, and knocking over the statue before leaving the detached head balanced on another figure.
In Middleton, the United Kingdom, a nativity scene installed in early December was destroyed within a day, with multiple figures damaged beyond repair. In Fonsorbes, France, altar cloths inside Saint-Jean-Baptiste Church were set on fire, with reports indicating straw from a nativity display was used as fuel. In Villar de Olalla, Spain, Christmas decorations were vandalized.
Separate from vandalism incidents, a confirmed disruption occurred at the Brussels Christmas market in late 2025. On November 29, the opening night of the Winter Wonders Christmas market at Place de la Bourse was disrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters. Reports and videos show protesters setting off smoke bombs or smoke devices, waving Palestinian flags, chanting slogans, using drums and torches, and wearing keffiyehs. Smoke filled the area between market stalls, and families with children reportedly left the scene. Witnesses described confusion, crowd dispersal, and the interruption of the opening celebration.
Brussels MP Mathias Vanden Borre called for banning demonstrations in the city center during the Christmas market period, stating that the market location was inappropriate for protests. The incident occurred amid heightened sensitivity surrounding Christmas markets following past attacks, including the 2016 truck attack in Berlin.
On November 29, 2025, a pro-Palestinian demonstration also took place in Vienna, Austria, passing through or near Christmas market areas. Police confirmed the demonstration occurred, and multiple videos showed demonstrators in proximity to market locations.
In London, large pro-Palestinian demonstrations that began in December 2023 continued into 2024 and 2025. Protesters marched along major shopping streets, including Oxford Street, Regent Street, and Carnaby Street, calling for boycotts of Israeli-linked businesses during the Christmas shopping period.
Across Europe, these incidents occurred alongside heightened security at Christmas markets due to recurring vandalism and past terror attacks. Municipal authorities in several cities increased police presence and hired private security to protect holiday installations amid ongoing concerns about damage, theft, and public safety.
Data for anti-Christian hate crimes in 2025 has not yet been released. According to OIDAC Europe, 2,211 anti-Christian hate crimes were recorded across Europe in 2024, a slight decrease from the 2,444 incidents reported the previous year. Despite the overall decline, personal attacks against Christians increased to 274, up from 232, and the report documented a sharp rise in arson attacks targeting churches and Christian sites, with 94 incidents recorded, nearly double the previous year’s total. France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, and Austria recorded the highest number of incidents. The findings were published in OIDAC’s 2025 report, released on November 17.
OIDAC highlighted several serious incidents, including the killing of a 76-year-old monk in Spain, the shooting of a man attending Sunday Mass in Istanbul by Islamic State militants, and the near-destruction of a Catholic church in Saint-Omer, France, by arson. The report also noted that when thefts and break-ins at religious sites are included, the total number of anti-Christian incidents rises to 1,503. One-third of all recorded arson attacks occurred in Germany, where Catholic leaders warned that longstanding norms against church vandalism had collapsed.
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