Marine Le Pen condemns church arson in Brittany as France faces wave of anti-Catholic arsons and attacks

A historic Catholic basilica in northern France was set ablaze in what investigators have described as a deliberate arson attack, the latest in a string of assaults on churches that have alarmed religious leaders and drawn sharp political reactions.

The Basilica of Guingamp in Brittany—an architectural landmark dating back centuries—suffered extensive fire damage after the blaze tore through its structure and scorched a statue of Mary. Officials confirmed that a suspect with a history of similar offenses was taken into custody. Images shared through L'Orgue Guingamp showed heavy damage to the building’s roof and interior.

Marine Le Pen, leader of France's populist National Rally party, condemned the incident and accused her political opponents of failing to acknowledge what she called a rising pattern of anti-Catholic violence. “Attacks on places of worship, whatever they may be, are unacceptable—just as unacceptable as the public authorities’ inability to protect them, and the selective outrage of certain left-wing and far-left political figures, who remain silent when it comes to denouncing this exponential violence targeting Catholics,” she wrote on X.

“Barely a month after the arson attack that targeted the Notre-Dame-des-Champs church in Paris, a new act of vandalism has defiled a church in Brittany,” Le Pen said. She accused the government of selective enforcement and warned that France’s Catholic community faces growing hostility.

Her comments followed another attack in July, when anti-Christian arsonists targeted the Notre-Dame-des-Champs Catholic church in Paris’s Montparnasse neighborhood just one day after an accidental fire had already damaged the building.

According to French authorities and watchdog groups, churches have increasingly been the target of vandalism, arson, and theft in recent years. This, as immigration from Muslim-majority countries has boomed. 

The timing of the latest attack adds to the powder keg currently building in France. On Monday, lawmakers ousted the government in a no-confidence vote, leaving President Emmanuel Macron scrambling to appoint his fourth prime minister in a year. Le Pen, who is currently appealing a political ban, has consistently led polls amid widespread dissatisfaction with Macron’s handling of domestic issues.