At a meeting on Freedom of Religion of OSCE/ODIHR in Vienna on Dec 9 and 10, the spokesperson of Wüstenstrom, a Christian NGO representing people with unwanted same-sex attractions, summarized a series of intolerance and attacks against them and their work. Find here the full text of his intervention.
An atheist father obtains the withdrawal of a crucifix in his son’s classroom in Regensburg (Bavaria, Germany) despite the opposition of the majority of parents. Morning prayer was changed to a neutral “Good Morning Circle”.
The renowned daily reports on a noticeable rise in quality and quantity of attacks against Church buildings.
In the night of April 13th the birthplace of Josef Ratzinger, now Benedict XVI, was vandalised. The house in Marktl am Inn was sprayed on with "insulting contents".
German Magazine sparks outrage by portraying profane image mocking Catholic Church and blaspheming image of Christ on the crucifix.
Christian parents arrested and imprisoned up to 40 days when they refused to allow their children to participate in a mandatory sexual education program.
Twelve crosses were removed from the walls of the surgery unit of the public hospital of Bad Soden, Germany, in February, while patients were watching.
A mother of eight was detained on February 17th to spend eight days in a prison. She had refused to send her nine-year-old-son to school on grounds of her objection to sex education.
“Because of a substantiated fear of persecution”, an American judge on immigration matters argued, the United States is granting political Asylum to a German couple and their children, who are fleeing from compulsory education in Germany.
Due diligence omitted in questionable article in German daily Die Zeit wrongly accusing Christians of being in favour of radical law in Uganda. Complaint to Press Council lodged by professor of journalism.
Eight families in Salzkotten, Germany, have suffered heavy fines and now their fathers have been sentenced to prison, because they have refused to send their elementary school-age children to mandatory sexual education classes. State wants “to prevent parallel societies.”
Homosexual students disrupted a lecture of Protestant philosopher Prof. Edith Düsing at Cologne University. The students made noise and used kissing and banners due to her support of a manifesto in May 2009 protesting the cancellation of an academic lecture at a psychology congress on grounds of the speakers’ research on healing homosexuality.
A couple from northern Hessen (Germany) had to pay a fine to the extent of 120 € for taking their children out of school for religious reasons. The district Court of Kassel charged the 48-year-old man and his 43-year-old wife with 60 daily rates of 1€ in an appellate decision. In the previous contested judgment of June 2008 they were supposed to go to jail for three months, even though the attorney admitted that the children are well educated.
Chapel set on fire in the night from November 15th to 16th in Over (Hamburg). Damage caused is estimated over 100,000 Euros.
Aleksejs Ribakovs, Orthodox Priest, was beaten and forced to move to another city to protect his family. One of the suspects was caught and identified as a young Muslim who proclaimed to hate Christians.
Large white crosses carried by pro life manifestations through the city of Berlin. Several of the crosses were stolen by members of left wing associations and were thrown into a nearby river.
German Gay and Lesbian Association in opposition to two speeches on Psychotherapy congress on whether sexual orientation could be changed if wished for. Speeches had to be delivered with police protection. Anti-Christian counter-demonstration portrayed Jesus as a pig nailed to the cross and used slogans such as: “We are here to hurt your feelings.”
In March 2009, more than 100 participants of an unannounced counter-demonstration partially blocked a pro-life organisations, the so called 1000-crosses-march, in Muenster (Münster). The chairman of the pro-life organisation Euro pro Life, Wolfgang Hering, responsible for the march, had been surrounded by a large number of tourblemakers. Only under threat of coercive measures by the police, he was released by the attackers.
The governmental agency ‘Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung’ (Federal Central Unit of Political Education) defames evangelicals as hostile to constitution.
Offenders set fire to a church; the third one in two months. The sacristy of the church St. Bernard was completely burned out.