A group of young men stormed the Montfavet church in Avignon on Saturday evening, shouting, “Allahu Akbar” and threatening to burn the church down — an act of intimidation that forced police to guard the building during Sunday’s morning Mass.
The incident occurred shortly after 7:30 p.m., just as the evening Mass had ended. According to Fr. Laurent Milan, the parish priest, the confrontation began when a teenage boy arrived at the church claiming he wanted to convert. Soon after, around 10 others followed, some stating they were Muslims and asking to come inside.
According to reports by La Provence, the group quickly turned aggressive. “One of them began running around. They gathered around the priest and started hurling insults. It was chaos. We struggled to get them out,” one parishioner told the French news outlet.
According to Fr. Milan, the young men hurled explicit insults targeting Christianity and made repeated threats. “They didn’t insult me directly, but they shouted things like, ‘Jesus, we’re f***ing you,’” he said. “They were shouting ‘Allahu Akbar,’ and told us several times, ‘We’re going to come back and burn your church.’”
The priest filed a police complaint that same night, and five witnesses are understood to have already spoken to law enforcement. A police source confirmed an investigation is underway for “non-public insults because of religion” and “threats of dangerous destruction to persons.”
As of Sunday, no arrests had been made, while worshippers arriving for the day’s morning service were met with patrol cars and visible security.
According to Fr. Milan, the church has seen a spike in anti-social and threatening behavior in recent weeks. Just days earlier, on May 7, another group of youths disrupted a parish meeting by shouting and banging on the windows.
“We’ve had a computer stolen, candles taken,” he said. “Some even throw their ball against the church walls during Mass, deliberately trying to disrupt us.”
“This isn’t just disrespect,” Fr. Milan added. “This is a threat, and it’s not the first.”
Avignon city officials say they are taking the threats seriously. “Nothing justifies insults or threats against religious representatives or places of worship,” said Deputy Mayor Claude Nahoum. “We are following the matter closely.”
The post ‘We’re coming back to burn it down!’ — Church threatened with arson in Avignon, police deployed to guard Sunday Mass appeared first on Remix News.
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