ICC Note: On April 2, an arsonist attacked the Armenian Evangelical Church of Alfortville by lighting a trash can on fire in front of the building. This is the second time that the church, which is located near Paris, has been targeted, as it was recently attacked when people threw stones against the building. In response, the Mayor of Alfortville and other Christian groups have spoken out to condemn the attack and show support for the church.

04/03/2017 France (Evangelical Focus) – A fire erupted in the Armenian Evangelical Church of Alfortville (near Paris) on Sunday 2 April, at 6 a.m. The flames woke up Pastor Gilbert Léonian and his wife, who live in the first floor.

The fire was a “shocked” because they were sleeping, the pastor said, but they were not physically injured.

A trash bin was placed in front of the building and set on fire. The firefighters arrived in time to stop the fire propagating to the rest of the building.

It is the second incident against this church in a very short time. Eight days earlier, stones were thrown against the façade of the building and the interphone was damaged.

Léonian arrived as pastor for this church 18 months ago and leads this Christian community of 30 people, newspaper Le Parisien reported.

These attacks are “a surprise in such a quiet neighbourhood”, the pastor said. They are worrying but “do not make us feel angry”.

The Sunday worship service was not cancelled, but celebrated in a different room of the church.

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