The Jehovah's witnesses have issued a 2024 Special Report, reporting hate crimes against people who practice this faith, and considering that the incidence of them is getting worse.

 The Jehovah's witnesses have issued a 2024 Special Report, reporting hate crimes against people who practice this faith, and considering that the incidence of them is getting worse.


"A deadly shooting at a meeting place of Jehovah's witnesses in Germany. Violent attacks in Spain. Vandalized religious properties across Europe. These hostile acts show the increase in hate speech and hate crimes against Jehovah's witnesses in recent years,” it said in a statement.


As June 18 marks the International Day to combat hate speech, Jehovah's witnesses are releasing a new 2024 Special Report on “Jehovah's witnesses: target of hate speech and hate Crimes.”


” Jehovah's witnesses are peaceful people, " said Jarrod Lopes, a worldwide spokesman for Jehovah's witnesses. "Yet they have been repeatedly targeted with hate speech and crimes, malicious misinformation and unspeakable violence. Our special report provides new data on hate speech and crimes in recent years, as well as dangerous situations that have arisen in many regions, especially in Europe. The report also provides useful suggestions for government authorities and appropriate practices for the media on how to combat hate speech and violence against women.

vulnerable groups such as Jehovah's witnesses.”


Jehovah's witnesses say they have been a prime target of hate speech, discrimination and persecution – especially in some regions of Europe.


"In 2022, there were 130 hate crimes against Jehovah's witnesses, which included violent assaults and destruction of property, according to the Organization for security and cooperation in Europe's Department for democratic institutions and Human Rights. This represents 17% of all hate crimes reported to the OSCE,” the witnesses said.


The report "Jehovah's witnesses: targeting hate speech and Crimes" highlights specific incidents of hate crimes, including:


Austria: on August 20, 2023, bombs exploded under vehicles of members of a Leibnitz congregation.-


  Germany: hate Crimes against Jehovah's witnesses reached an unprecedented level in Germany on March 9, 2023, with the fatal shooting attack at one of their meeting places in Hamburg. According to preliminary results, the perpetrator of the crime seems to have been influenced, at least partially, by hate speech on social networks. Six adults and an unborn baby were killed. Subsequently, there were more than 70 defamatory and discriminatory articles in the media and social media posts. On March 19, 2023, in Lichtentanne, two young women, Jehovah's witnesses, found a handwritten note on the door of their house that read: “what a pity you were not in Hamburg!”


 Norway: on January 27, 2022, Jehovah's witnesses ' meeting places in Stord were vandalized on exactly the same day that the county governor of Oslo and Viken announced that she would deny state benefits to Jehovah's witnesses.


Spain: on December 9, 2023, a man began insulting believers near a meeting place of Jehovah's witnesses in Tenerife. He used phrases like,” Death to Jehovah's witnesses “and”we must eliminate Jehovah's witnesses." He also began throwing stones at a woman who was on her way to the meeting place. Next, the man

he threw stones at two cars belonging to Jehovah's witnesses. He smashed the windows of both cars and then set one of them on fire.


Ukraine: on March 23, 2023, a priest of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church approached two Jehovah's witnesses who were displaying religious publications in Hlyboka. She secretly recorded the conversation she had with him and then posted the video on Facebook along with statements that contained hate speech. This provoked thousands of comments, including calls to exterminate Jehovah's witnesses.


On 30 October 2023, the European Times concluded that these attacks on Jehovah's witnesses are attributable to hate speech and discrimination “propagated or supported by state agencies” and disseminated by the “mainstream media.”

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