Fact Check: ‘Islamist mob’ sets church on fire in France? No, here are the facts

Hyderabad: A video showing a church engulfed in flames is widely circulating on social media. Those sharing the video claim that a radical Islamic mob burned down and destroyed the church in Saint-Omer, France.

An X user shared the video with the caption, “This building, burning with a roar, is a Church in France. A radical Islamic mob has burned down and destroyed the church in Saint Omar. This is the same France that stood holding a ‘Welcome Refugee’ board. Today, the same refugees are burning France. India will have to learn from this.” (Translated from Hindi)

Another X user shared the video and wrote, “FRANCE: Another Catholic church has been burned down. The Immaculate Conception Church in Saint-Omar was destroyed in an Islamist attack. Churches across Europe are under threat. Protect them.”

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claim is false. While a person named Joël Vigoureux was arrested for the fire that occurred in 2024, there are no reports of the arson being committed by Muslims.

A reverse image search of the video’s keyframes led us to the same footage shared by the X handle Catholic Arena on September 2, 2024. According to the post, the video shows the Immaculate Conception Church in flames in Saint-Omer, France. The church’s bell tower collapsed in the fire.

Taking this cue, we conducted a keyword search and found the incident reported by France Info and Faits Divers in September 2024.

According to the reports, a 39-year-old man, Joël Vigoureux, identified as a repeat offender with a history of desecrating religious sites, had been released from prison at the end of August 2024 and was the arsonist behind the Saint-Omer church fire. He was living in a social shelter and had a long history of similar convictions. Authorities quickly apprehended him after the incident, with his criminal profile raising concerns about repeat offences.

During the various hearings, Vigoureux, who is a French national, confessed that he had broken into the church to steal money from the collection boxes and admitted to setting the fire. The reports made no mention of any Islamist mob being involved in the incident.

A report by Catholic News Agency in September 2024 stated that the historic Church of the Immaculate Conception in Saint-Omer, located in the Pas-de-Calais department of northern France, was destroyed by arson on the night of September 2, 2024.

The suspect, identified as Joël Vigoureux, had reportedly been convicted on numerous occasions for similar acts of arson in recent years. This report also made no mention of any Islamist mob involvement.

Therefore, we conclude that the incident is old, and the claim of an ‘Islamist mob’ setting fire to a church is false.