- The European Court of Human Rights will consider Union of Atheists v. Greece, a case that will determine whether religious symbols like Christian icons can be displayed in public institutions.
- The atheist group that filed the suit argues that religious symbols in Greek courtrooms are discriminatory and undermine judicial neutrality, but Greek courts have rejected those claims.
- Alliance Defending Freedom International supports Greece, arguing that religious symbols reflect cultural and historical heritage and citing prior European rulings that such displays do not constitute religious indoctrination or human rights violations.
A European court case is poised to determine whether public institutions across the continent may display religious symbols or be forced to remove them in the name of equality.
The case, Union of Atheists v. Greece, began in 2020 after an atheist organization filed two applications requesting Greece to remove Christian symbols in courtrooms during hearings related to religion, according to court documents and legal nonprofit Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International, which has intervened in the case.
“The applicants argued that the icons’ presence was discriminatory, compromised the objectivity of the court, and violated their right to a fair trial, as well as their right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion,” ADF International stated in a press release. The Greek courts denied the atheists’ requests, and the case now stands before the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
ADF International argues that displaying a religious image “cannot, by itself, limit anyone’s freedom of belief or call the fairness of a court into question, and that there is no right not to be offended by the presence of religious imagery, as critics of religious symbols contend,” according to the release. The legal organization further argues that “‘state neutrality’ should not amount to hostility towards Christianity,” which it says has a social, cultural, and historical basis in Greece.
ADF International also points to other European countries, such as Austria, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, that similarly permit the display of religious symbols in public spaces, and reminds the court that the ECHR’s Grand Chamber heard a similar case in 2011 over crucifixes being displayed in state-school classrooms. The Grand Chamber ruled at that time that a crucifix could not be considered religious indoctrination or interference with freedom of thought, conscience, or religion, according to the release.
Adina Portaru, senior counsel at ADF International, stated in the release that displaying religious symbols in public spaces “is in no way compatible with human rights law.”
“Public spaces should not be stripped of crosses, icons or other symbols with religious, cultural, and historical significance in the name of pluralism,” she added. “The Court has repeatedly affirmed that religious symbols, particularly those forming a country’s heritage, do not violate freedom of religion or the right to a fair trial.”
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