French “Christfluencer” stabbed to death in front of his home in Lyon
Police in Lyon. Image not related to the article. Photo AFP, Jeff Pachoud
Western Europe
In the week of Charlie Kirk's killing in the US, a Christian influencer in France was also killed. Ashur Sarnaya was attacked in his wheelchair right in front of his home in Lyon.
The 45-year-old Sarnaya was livestreaming his religious testimony at the moment of his murder, the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe writes on Monday. At that moment, he was stabbed in his neck.
Witnesses said that his killer had been waiting for Sarnaya before he attacked him. Emergency services could not do anything for the Assyrian Christian anymore, and he passed away on the scene from a heart attack, Le Progres reports.
According to the Observatory, Sarnaya had fled Iraq in 2014 because of his religious convictions which were not tolerated by Islamists. In France, he lived with his sister in Lyon.
Sarnaya was known as a “Christfluencer” because he shared Christian messages in Arabic online. This led to repeated critique and harassment from other Muslim users. At the same time, his sister told local media that Sarnaya did not have specific enemies or people he was in trouble with.
She was warned by friends who had seen the livestream at the time of the attack, Die Tagespost writes. “When I arrived, he was dead. He was lying on the ground and many people were present”, the sister recalls.
Motive
The public prosecutor has launched an investigation, BFM RMC states. A spokesperson says that there is no motive found yet. “There are no clues that point to a solid motive, whether it be a criminal, political, religious, or drugs related case.”
Several Christian organisations expressed their sympathy for the Sarnaya's family and loved ones online. SOS Chrétiens d’Orient writes: “It is unimaginable that a Christian who fled persecution should be murdered in France.” Furthermore, the organisation calls for prayers.
Some say that this murder is part of a broader trend of anti-Christian acts. Right-wing politician Marine le Pen also responded on X. She argues that granting asylum to perscuted people is legitimate, but that the French immigration policies now “lead us to welcome their executioners”.
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