This map doesn't show churches 'burned down' in France over the last four years

Context

A small fire broke out on July 11, 2024, in the spire of the medieval cathedral in Rouen, a significant landmark in northern France under renovation. Authorities said it was quickly brought under control. However, social media users started insinuating that churches in France are under attack. In one example, Facebook users published (archived here, here, and here) an alleged map of "churches burned" or "churches destroyed" in France over the last four years.

The map, however, was shared with an incorrect caption. The map highlights various acts of vandalism and other acts in and near churches in 2017-2018, not destroyed or burned churches. 

In fact

The Observatory of Christianophobia created the map shown in the posts. According to the organization's mission, it has been working since May 2010 to list acts of Christianophobia in France and around the world.

Created by Catholic activists, the map is not just of "destroyed" or "burned" churches. It shows many types of incidents, including vandalism, fires, violence, and theft, that have occurred in or around churches, as well as attacks on priests and other incidents the map's creators deem as religiously motivated. Some listed fires occurred in church halls or car parks near the churches.

Many cases are related to theft from churches. An LGBTQ+ activist and a dancing performance also made the list. The cases are primarily backed up by reporting from local or national media outlets. 

This is not the first time this map has appeared online in different contexts and with incorrect descriptions. In 2019, it was posted on X (formerly Twitter) with the caption, "Map of churches vandalized or destroyed in 2018," three days after a fire broke out at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. At the time, bad actors spread an unfounded narrative that blamed the fire on Muslims. French authorities concluded that an electrical fault or a burning cigarette may have been responsible for the fire.

Following a fire at a French cathedral in Rouen, the map and similar wrong narratives have resurfaced on social media. Rouen's authorities said the cause of the blaze remains unknown. They have not reported on any potential religious motive.

The map has also been posted with no connection to the incidents but as a part of far-right Islamophobic narratives. On June 8, 2024, an X user posted it (archived here) with text saying, "After 4 years of this, one would believe their fire prevention measures are substandard - yet France continues to pour more Muslims on the problem. Location of churches burned in France since 2020." At the time of writing, the post has been viewed over 75,000 times.

The verdict

The map doesn't show churches in France that were burned down or destroyed in the last four years. It shows different types of incidents its creators deem religiously motivated. The map was previously shared with misleading captions as a part of anti-migrant and Islamophobic narratives. Consequently, we have marked the claim as misleading.