Last week a group of French Catholics taking part in an annual Marian procession in the suburbs of Paris were verbally attacked and threatened by demonstrators.
About 30 parishioners and clergy from Nanterre, France who were making an annual torchlight procession on the feast of the Immaculate Conception, Wednesday, December 8, were confronted by a group of ten people, reported Le Figaro.
In what was described as a “heated altercation” the demonstrators insulted and threatened the group, calling them “infidels.” Le Figaro reported that Jean-Marc Sertillange, a deacon of the the parish, published an account of the attack:
“Our procession, which takes place every year on December 8 for the feast of the parish, was to start from the Saint Joseph church to reach the Sainte Marie church, in the Pablo Picasso district. The route of barely one kilometer had been authorized by the prefecture after a declaration filed by me.”
“But shortly after 7:00 p.m., and when we had only advanced a few hundred yards, a bunch of strangers on the path verbally attacked us at the time of the first prayer station.”
According to the deacon, the demonstrators called the group,”kouffars” (“disbelievers “) and threatened, “On the Koran, I’ll cut your throat.“
“They then threw water at us, then grabbed out one of the torches and threw it in our direction, ” he added.
Condemnation from French government
On Saturday, French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin condemned the attacks on Twitter, calling them a violation of religious freedom.
“Inadmissible acts,” he Tweeted, “The freedom of worship must be able to be exercised in all serenity in our country. Support for Catholics in France.”