BRUSSELS – Religious symbols in classrooms could be banned across Europe if a human rights ruling is upheld on appeal today.
The Italian government is trying to overturn a verdict that displaying crucifixes in state schools breaches religious freedoms enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights.
The decision by the European Court of Human Rights in 2009 was a victory for Soile Lautsi, a mother who complained that her children, aged 11 and 13, were exposed to crucifixes in classrooms at their school in northern Italy.
The Strasbourg judges agreed that the presence of religious symbols violated the children’s “right to education” and their “right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion”, safeguarded by the convention.
The judges rejected Italian government arguments that the crucifix was a national symbol of culture, history and identity, tolerance and secularism, saying the crucifix in the classroom was against the principle of secularism by which Ms Lautsi wished to raise her children.
The judgment said: “The presence of the crucifix – which it was impossible not to notice in the classrooms – could easily be interpreted by pupils of all ages as a religious sign and they would feel that they were being educated in a school environment bearing the stamp of a given religion.” – (Reuters)