Feast of the Assumption: Bruno Retailleau calls for stronger protection of Christian places of worship

Before August 15, the Minister of the Interior noted that the number of anti-Christian acts had been increasing since the beginning of the year with "401 incidents recorded between January and June."

In a telegram seen by AFP on Saturday, August 9, Bruno Retailleau called on prefects and law enforcement officials to strengthen the protection of Christian places of worship on the occasion of the Feast of the Assumption, on August 15, "in a context of increasing anti-Christian acts." The Minister of the Interior "wishes that the attention [of prefects and law enforcement] be focused in particular on services, gatherings, processions, pilgrimages which are traditionally associated" with August 15, particularly "in sanctuaries."

Bruno Retailleau also underlines "the high level of the terrorist threat (...) in a context of high international tensions, particularly in the Middle East" , while Israel plans to take control of the city of Gaza . These events "require extreme vigilance, particularly with regard to demonstrations" close "to places of a religious nature" .

The Minister of the Interior noted that the number of anti-Christian acts has been on the rise since the beginning of the year with "401 incidents recorded between January and June compared to 354 over the same period in 2024, an increase of 13%" . These acts are mainly petty crimes, such as thefts from religious buildings and damage to cemeteries, noted the report of the National Consultative Commission on Human Rights in June 2025.