The United Nations and European Union have called for greater action to protect religious freedom and tackle persecution around the world.
Speaking to mark the International Day Commemorating Victims of Violence Based on Religion or Belief, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said governments, religious leaders and technology companies all had a role to play in addressing violence and discrimination based on religion or belief.
“Across the world, bloodshed based on religious affiliation runs rampant”, Mr Guterres said in a statement.
“Festivals have been attacked, places of worship desecrated. And many believers — especially among religious minorities — face hostility online and off. Such acts are an assault on human rights and human dignity. They must end now.”
Mr Guterres said no religious community could feel safe “when one group is persecuted”.
He urged governments to “bring perpetrators to justice” and counter “all forms of discrimination and hate speech”.
He also called on religious leaders “to speak out against violence” and technology companies to ensure their platforms were designed and moderated “to protect users from stigma and scapegoating”.
The European Union Council said “serious abuses and violations” of religious rights were affecting two-thirds of the world's population, despite religious freedom being enshrined in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The EU said it was supporting initiatives to tackle religious discrimination in Europe, while also funding projects aimed at protecting religious coexistence in parts of Asia and Africa.
It has also appointed a special envoy to raise awareness of religious persecution worldwide.
“Millions of people suffer daily from intolerance, discrimination, hatred, hostility and violence because of their actual or perceived religion or belief, or lack thereof,” the Council said.
It added: “We have a responsibility to engage constructively and keep working actively towards a world where freedom, respect, tolerance and peace for persons of all religions and beliefs are no longer an exception but the norm.”
Human rights organisations have also raised concerns about increasing anti-religious violence.
The Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe (OIDAC) says there were 843 anti-Christian acts in France during 2025, alongside 1,646 anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim acts. It also reported a fourfold increase in attacks on Christian clergy and Church representatives.
OIDAC executive director Anja Tang said: “August 22 should be a wake-up call, a day to remember those suffering far from the cameras.”
“Religious persecution affects millions of people, yet there is sometimes a shocking lack of public interest in their fate. Other human rights causes mobilise large parts of our societies, while victims of religious persecution often struggle to make their voices heard.”
