For four months now, Christian couple Marius and Ruth Bodnariu have been separated from their five children. Norway's child welfare services, the Barnevernet, seized the kids when the principal of the school attended by the couple's daughters notified the government that she "had concerns about how the girls were disciplined at home because the parents were 'very Christian.'"
The couple's children, two daughters and three sons, were taken away by state authorities in November 2015 on suspicion of parental child abuse and religious indoctrination after one of the daughters told her headteacher that Marius and Ruth spanked the children as a disciplinary measure.
Corporal punishment is illegal in Norway, and schools are obliged to report it.
To exert pressure on the Norwegian government, thousands of activists protested around the world over the weekend. The protesters called on the Norwegian government to return the Bodnariu children to their parents.
In Arizona, hundreds of residents marched outside the Superior Court building in central Phoenix on Saturday to criticise the actions of the Norwegian government.
Arizona Rep. Trent Franks, who has advocated child welfare issues in the U.S. Congress, led the protesters, according
to AZFamily.com.
Members of the group called "the Romanian-Americans for Reunification of Bodnariu Family Coalition," as well as community, business, civic and religious leaders joined the protest.
As early as Tuesday last week, Canada-based non-profit organisation Home School Legal Defence Association (HSLDA) provided links to information on the rallies supporting the reunion of the Bodnariu family to enable residents from Europe, Australia and New Zealand to join the protests.
The group particularly asked its members in the U.S. to contact the Norwegian Embassy in Washington, D.C., "to express their concern about this situation."
"Norway has a great desire to maintain a good image, especially with the United States. Your efforts can help Norway realize that this kind of behavior can cause that image to be tarnished," the HSLDA said in an announcement, as quoted by WND.
The non-profit organisation described the Bodnariu couple's situation as "every caring parent's worst nightmare: having their children taken by state authorities."
"For two months Marius, an information technician, and Ruth, a paediatric nurse, were not permitted to have any contact with their children – including their youngest, Ezekiel, whom Ruth was still nursing when he was taken away," the HSLDA said. A week ago a judge ordered Ezekiel, now 7 months old, to be returned to his parents.
The group emphasised that this situation arose "because of the parents' Christian beliefs."
