- A nun from Bosnia, falsely claimed she was stabbed by a Muslim migrant. Police confirmed the incident was fabricated.
- The false claims spread rapidly online, fuelling anti- Muslim and xenophobic reactions, including from Tommy Robinson.
Sister Marija Tatjana Zrno, 35, a respected nun from Bosnia and Herzegovina sparked a four-day police investigation. She falsely claimed that an unknown attacker had stabbed her in Zagreb, Croatia, on November 29. The supposed attacker was described as a Muslim migrant.
A local man posted on Facebook that he had learned from a “trusted source” that Sister Marija had been stabbed by a “migrant who was shouting religious slogans.”
The Zagreb Police Department said these claims were false. Investigators found that the nun had bought the knife herself. She likely injured herself and fabricated a story about a Muslim attacker to create fear and division within the community.
“Police continued with detailed checks and ultimately established that the woman had fabricated the incident,” local media reported.
Sister Marija did not suffer life-threatening injuries but was hospitalised.
A criminal complaint has been filed with the State Attorney’s Office. In Croatia, filing a false police report can lead to a fine or up to three years in prison. If charged with wasting police time, the punishment is shorter.
False claims spread quickly online, fueling xenophobic attacks.
One user, Samantha Smith, falsely said the nun had been killed and wrote: “Where are the headlines? Where are the protests? Where is the outrage? Why are they silent? Ah, yes. Because it isn’t ‘fashionable’ to care about Christian lives.”
Another account, linked to Tommy Robinson, claimed the media ignored the story for the “sake of diversity.” Even after the truth emerged, many posts about migrants and the ‘Muslim criminal,’ remain online.
