The theme of Europe’s "Islamization" was raised on January 11, 2026, during the talk show “Mneniya”("Opinions") on the CTV channel. Host Ihar Pazniak claimed that New Year and Christmas riots are becoming a tradition in the EU. The broadcast then aired video clips of mass unrest reportedly staged by migrants from the Middle East, Syria, and other countries. The segment's voiceover stated:
"New Year’s in Europe was also marked by the radical cancellation of traditional Christian symbols. Across the European Union and the United Kingdom, radical Islamists set fire to Christmas trees in the days leading up to the holidays. … Churches and cathedrals also came under attack. An Amsterdam resident expressed the silent horror and sense of loss felt by all Europeans as she watched a historic church burn: 'This affected me deeply. The church was a part of our neighborhood’s life.’”
The church mentioned by the Dutch resident is Vondelkerk, a former 19th-century Catholic church. It caught fire on New Year’s Eve. There is no official confirmation that migrants set it on fire; it is suspected that fireworks were to blame. Police are conducting an investigation.
An actual case of a Christmas tree being set on fire during the holidays did occur — in the city of Jenin in the West Bank. A Christmas tree also caught fire in Warsaw, but it was caused by fireworks rather than arson.
The video of the burning Christmas tree aired on CTV was filmed in China, not the United Kingdom. Chinese characters are visible in the footage. The cause of the fire was faulty wiring, not arson.
In late 2025, the ONT TV channel also reported on riots and Christmas tree arsons:
“Christmas trees continue to be set ablaze in Europe in an attempt to cancel traditional holidays. For the most part, this is the work of the same migrants who are imposing their own values. They are destroying Christmas symbols in plain sight, and the police are seemingly turning a blind eye.”
These claims were backed by two videos. The first was filmed in Argentina. It showed a protest where demonstrators were demanding a wage increase. Protesters set fire to a Christmas tree outside the city hall to protest the local mayor’s policies, rather than traditional values.
The second video was from Egypt. The footage shows an Arabic inscription that reads, “Christmas in Egypt is different,” and includes the name of the Instagram account where the video was posted over a year ago.
As a result, the videos aired by the TV channels do not support the claim that migrants in the EU and the UK were engaged in mass Christmas tree arsons and attacks on churches.
