Swiss teacher dismissed over crucifix

[DMB]

The Swiss canton of Valais (Wallis in German) has a tradition of staunch Catholicism. It is where the Vatican's Swiss Guards come from. Now it looks as though they may be in the middle of a human rights row over a crucifix.

A secondary teacher, who happens to be the President of the local chapter of the Freethinkers, had removed a crucifix from the wall of his classroom a year ago. But at the beginning of the new school year, when he again removed the crucifix he was summarily dismissed. He had in the mean time got involved in an argument about whether public schools should be promoting Christianity/Catholicism at all, and there are suspicions that his resulting higher profile may have been the reason for his dismissal.

Federal law would seem to be on his side, although it is not crystal clear. Almost certainly, European human rights law would support him. But the canton points to cantonal law which says that public schooling has the following objective:

Art. 3 Mission générale de l’école
L’école valaisanne a la mission générale de seconder la famille dans l’éducation et l’instruction de la jeunesse. A cet effet, elle recherche la collaboration des Eglises reconnues de droit public (appelées ci-après Eglises).
Elle s’efforce de développer le sens moral, les facultés intellectuelles et physiques de l’élève, de le préparer à sa tâche de personne humaine et de chrétien.

my bold

Rough translation:
The school of the Valais has the general mission to second the family in the education and instruction of youth. To achieve this it seeks the collaboration of the churches recognised by public law. It endeavours to develop the pupil's moral sense and intellectual and physical ability in order to prepare him for his tasks as a human being and a Christian.

It was this paragraph that they used as justification for the dismissal.

[DMB]

Here is a newspaper account for anyone who can read French

http://www.lematin.ch/actu/suisse/licencie-cause-crucifix-333992

[DMB]

Press release on this from IHEU:

Swiss dubbed ‘school yard bullies’ for firing non-religious teacher

The International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) has accused Swiss authorities of behaving like “school yard bullies” towards a state school teacher who removed the crucifix from his classroom. Valentin Abgottspon was dismissed from his job as a middle-school teacher in the Swiss canton of Valais on Friday, 8 October. The dismissal came after the teacher raised concerns about the promotion of Christianity by state schools.

Sonja Eggerickx, president of IHEU, said, “Switzerland prides itself on its principle of neutrality, but when Valentin Abgottspon asked school authorities to show neutrality towards religion they reacted like school yard bullies. Forcing a teacher to submit to Christianity in a public school is a violation of the fundamental human right to freedom of conscience. IHEU will fight this abuse of state power all the way to the UN.”

As the world union of more than 100 Humanist and atheist organizations in 40 countries, IHEU has consultative status at the United Nations.

Abgottspon removed the Christian crosses from his classrooms more than a year ago. According to Swiss newspapers his colleagues and at least one person on the school board knew about the removal of the crucifixes, yet there was no negative reaction from the school or the education board until recently. That changed after Abgottspon appeared before the Valais education board, on August 11, as president of the Valais branch of the Freethinkers Association of Switzerland -- an IHEU member organization.

Abgottspon presented a list of concerns about religious activities in state schools. He encouraged the board to inform schools about a 1990 Swiss federal supreme court decision that requires school administrations to remove crucifixes from classrooms if requested by parents. Furthermore, he argued that Catholic religious festivities like communion or confirmation should no longer be prepared during school courses. Abgottspon urged the public school system to exercise more neutrality towards religion.

In response, the school administration referred to Article 3 of the canton’s education law, which states that education should prepare pupils for their duties “as human beings and Christians”. At the end of September the mayor of Stalden and multiple members of the regional school administration sent Abgottspon a letter urging him to put the crucifix back in his classrooms. Abgottspon refused, stating again his view that the requirement to teach under the crucifix violates his religious freedom. Overnight the cross was hung back up in Abgottspon’s classroom.

When Abgottspon again removed the cross from his classroom he received his immediate dismissal on the grounds that he could no longer be trusted by the school administration. On his voicemail he found several threatening calls stating “the crucifix is waiting for you!”

[Politesse]

I assumed the lawsuit was going in quite the other direction when I read the thread title, in part because I can't imagine this row occurring in the US. And aren't we supposed to be the religious loonies? Between this and the minaret ban, Switzerland is giving the impression it is still stuck in 1529.

[kennyc]

Thanks for this!