Assyrian Christian Stabbed to Death in France While Livestreaming His Faith

French Christians are in shock after the murder of Ashur Sarnaya, a 45-year-old disabled Chaldean Catholic from Iraq, who was stabbed in the throat outside his apartment in Lyon while livestreaming about his faith on TikTok.

Sarnaya, confined to a wheelchair, had lived legally in France for a decade. Originally from Ankawa, a Christian stronghold in northern Iraq, he had fled persecution by ISIS and was active in Lyon’s Chaldean parish of St. Ephrem. His TikTok page, Ashur Love, previously featured prayers, sermons, and hymns in Arabic. On the night of his death, his livestream captured his final moments, which quickly spread across social media.

The association SOS Chrétiens d’Orient confirmed that Sarnaya had already endured threats and harassment online for speaking openly about Christianity. Last spring, he was attacked by Muslims, the group said. “He lost his life because he displayed his Christian faith,” France’s evangelical leaders declared in a statement.

Archbishop Olivier de Germay of Lyon offered condolences, calling violence “a dead end.” But anger is growing among France’s Assyrian-Chaldean community, which numbers around 30,000. Calls for demonstrations “against Christianophobia” in Paris have circulated online, while political leaders weighed in. Marine Le Pen labeled the killer “an Islamist” and condemned France’s immigration policies for enabling such crimes.

The investigation remains open, and the attacker has not yet been caught. For many, the case symbolizes a bitter irony: Sarnaya escaped Islamist persecution in Iraq, only to be murdered for his faith on the streets of France.