News and Views 22nd October 2026

French Protests

• France on Fire. Apocalyptic scenes have engulfed major cities across France in recent days, when what began nominally as a student demonstration over school underfunding rapidly mutated into a disturbing display of anti-Western nihilism, leaving more than 600 police officers and firefighters injured (though the BBC typically called the protests ‘mainly peaceful’). In Limoges, a historic 19th-century Town Hall that survived two World Wars was devoured by fire after a mob smashed their way inside, causing the roof and iconic bell tower to come crashing down. Meanwhile, in Marseille, masked gangs stormed the city hall, chanting "It's the revolution!" before violently tearing down and smashing a bust of Marianne—the foundational female personification of liberty, equality, and the French Republic.
• The ‘Intifada’ coming home to Europe. Russia and Iran are said to be fanning the flames of the riots – in which a unifying feature across the devastated boulevards of Paris, Lyon, Strasbourg, et al has been the absolute omnipresence of Palestinian flags and keffiyeh scarves worn by the rioters. The Palestinian cause is effectively being weaponized by an ‘Islamo-leftist’ coalition as a proxy symbol for dismantling Western national identity. This more sinister turn follows reports that multiple rioters were apprehended by French police carrying lists containing the exact addresses of Jewish-owned businesses, several of which were subsequently targeted and set ablaze. Meanwhile, an online wave of antisemitic narratives is blaming the crisis on Jews and Israel.

Israel

• UNRWA insider blows whistle on antisemitic indoctrination in Gaza schools. A veteran UNRWA teacher of 15 years has painted a shocking picture of schools in Gaza operating under United Nations auspices, which actively taught a virulent hatred of Jews and glorified Hamas’s violent jihad. Sixth-grade history teachers openly blamed Jews for all suffering and encouraged young girls to take up arms. When the teacher attempted to confront her colleague, she faced immediate intimidation - one senior UN school official brandished a pair of scissors and explicitly stated, "If you don't stop arguing, we will cut out your tongue.". Terrified of Hamas’s deep infiltration into the school administration, she was silenced for years until the closure of her Gaza City school allowed her to escape and expose the truth.
• Subsidising antisemitic terrorism. This shocking exposure adds weight to long-standing charges that Western taxpayers are inadvertently subsidising antisemitic terrorism through the UN. The whistle-blower warned that such ongoing radicalisation guarantees future massacres unless the West pays attention to who is teaching children in the region. While mainstream networks continue to cover up UN accountability, a January 2026 US government report confirmed that Palestinian Authority textbooks used by UNRWA completely violate basic principles of neutrality and nonviolence.
• Church Leaders condemn masked assault on ‘Christian’ village near Jerusalem. The Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem have issued an urgent joint statement condemning a "heinous attack" against the nominally Christian village of Taybeh in the West Bank last weekend, involving masked individuals targeting local residents, as well as foreign diplomats and European officials who were on a solidarity visit during the traditional olive harvest. The church leaders warned that the incident is not isolated, pointing to escalating, coordinated harassment that disrupts agrarian livelihoods and seasonal harvests. The statement also forcefully rejected recent radical religious rulings attempting to biblically justify the seizure of land or property from non-Jewish neighbours, declaring such rhetoric dangerous and unacceptable. While thanking Israeli President Isaac Herzog for his swift and public denunciation of the violence, the church leaders criticised systemic local enforcement failures. 

Society and Politics

• Christian teacher sues after dismissal for mainstream pro-Israel and pro-life views. A Christian teacher with 28 years’ experience has launched legal action against Biddick Academy in Sunderland, after she was dismissed after a student asked her about the modern conflict in the Middle East during a history lesson focused on World War II. Anita Meston responded that she was "pro-Israel" while also expressing sorrow over all innocent casualties. Later in the same class, another student asked if she was pro-abortion, to which she answered that she was "pro-life" because of her Christian faith.
• Growing concerns re censorship of Christian beliefs. Supported by Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International, Meston states that her answers were truthful, respectful, and immediately followed by redirecting pupils back to the curriculum. The legal challenge highlights growing concerns among conservatives regarding institutional censorship and the policing of mainstream Christian beliefs within the UK education system.
• Essex church takes local council to court over ‘unprecedented’ preaching ban. The Bread of Life Community Church in Essex is appealing a sweeping Community Protection Notice issued by Colchester City Council following complaints regarding the church’s weekly 2-hour public ministry. For four years, members have gathered to sing hymns, hand out Bibles, and offer prayer to passersby. The Notice bans the church from using amplified sound equipment and engaging in "intimidating behaviour".
• No geographical limits or expiration date. Church leaders and their legal representatives, the Christian Legal Centre, strongly deny any intimidation. They warn that the restrictions feature no geographical limits or expiration date, turning any future public outreach into a potential criminal offense. Church advocates argue the council's restrictions have actively crossed into censoring the actual theological content of the Christian gospel. Legal experts view this case as a landmark test of whether anti-social behaviour laws are being weaponized by secular bureaucrats to suppress public evangelism.

Islam

• British Imams inciting violence against women. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp has demanded formal criminal investigations into three British imams who openly encouraged men to use physical violence against their wives, following a shocking undercover exposé revealing how some Islamic preachers are using their platforms within UK mosques to subvert British law and incite domestic abuse. 
• In particular: Yasin Munye of Hackney Islamic Community Centre suggested men may hit wives refusing intimacy; in Birmingham, Mahamed AbdurRazaq stated a husband is allowed to hit a wife refusing sex without breaking bones; while Aqeel Mahmood of Green Lane Mosque, also in Birmingham, lectured on a husband's right to discipline a wife for leaving home without permission.
• Christian groups like Christian Concern and the ADF UK (Alliance Defending Freedom) have long warned that British law enforcement routinely weaponizes hate speech laws against peaceful Christian street preachers, while simultaneously turning a blind eye to radical Islamic clerics who actively incite domestic violence and hatred.

Persecution of Christians

• More than 500 million believers face severe Bible restrictions globally. A major joint study published by the Bible Access Initiative reveals that over 500 million Christians now live in countries where access to the Holy Scriptures is legally restricted or actively blocked. Even more starkly, the research indicates that roughly 125 million believers have no access to the Bible in any format whatsoever—whether print, digital, or audio. The investigation identified state-sponsored religious persecution, aggressive political bans, severe poverty, and digital censorship as the primary obstacles keeping God’s Word out of believers' hands.
• Afghanistan, Yemen, Somalia, and North Korea are noted as the most hostile environments for scripture distribution. Sub-Saharan African nations like the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria top this list, for in these regions, high demand from growing congregations is routinely thwarted by systemic poverty and violent disruptions from Islamist extremist groups.
• Evangelical churches in Europe targeted with ‘Anglo-Zionist’ conspiracies. A disturbing wave of targeted hostility is rising against Protestant Christians across Western Europe. Secular influencers and radical media outlets have launched a coordinated campaign demanding that evangelical ministries be completely expelled from countries like Spain, branding them a "Trojan horse of Anglo-Zionism". The rhetoric attempts to delegitimise the historic growth of charismatic and evangelical congregations by falsely claiming they are funded and operated by the CIA. This developing threat – ignored by mainstream media - directly links anti-Christian sentiment to anti-Israel expression, and incites public anger against believers who stand firmly with the Jewish state.