Governments cross stance extraordinary

The Christian Legal Centre has criticised the Government’s stance against the right to wear a cross at work.

According to The Sunday Telegraph, the Government argues that employers have the right to ban wearing the cross in the workplace and even sack employees who refuse to comply, as wearing the cross is not a “requirement” of the Christian faith.

The views are reportedly expressed in a document related to the case of British Christians who are taking their right to wear the cross at work to the European Court of Human Rights.

Shirley Chaplin, a nurse, was removed from ward duties by Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Trust when she continued to wear her cross. Check-in worker Nadia Eweida was suspended by British Airways in 2006 when her cross necklace was found to be in breach of the airline’s uniform code.

Their cases hinge on whether the manifestation of belief protected by Article 9 of the Human Rights Act includes wearing items that are not a “requirement of the faith”.

The Government claims that the women’s cases are “manifestly ill-founded”.

According to The Telegraph, a spokesman for the Prime Minister said: “The PM’s personal view is that people should be able to wear crosses. Our view is that the Equality Act as it stands should allow people to express their views in this kind of way.”

Speaking in the Commons yesterday, Communities Secretary Eric Pickles told MPs: “Providing any object doesn’t get in the way of doing the job, a discreet display of someone’s religion is something we should welcome.”

Andrea Minichiello Williams, director of the Christian Legal Centre, which is representing Mrs Chaplin, said the Government’s stance was “extraordinary”.

She compared moves to confine faith to the private sphere to the repression of Christianity experienced in communist countries.

“David Cameron likes to talk about the importance of our Christian heritage but seems to be firmly on board with those who want to stamp it out completely. It is very hard to understand what he really believes,” she said.

“Sharing faith in the public square goes to the centre, the heart, of a Christian’s life and belief – it’s who they are.

“Telling Christians that they can’t wear a cross to work is what happened in the USSR before things went really downhill there.

“It is time for people to wake up and understand what is going on – we are sleepwalking into increasing totalitarianism.”

London Mayor Boris Johnson has also criticised the move, saying that someone needs to tell the Government’s lawyers “not to be such confounded idiots”.

“Mrs Eweida is a member of a group — Christians — and she wanted to express her membership of that group in a small and inoffensive way. She was suspended and sent home. She was told she could not have contact with the public," he said.

“She was discriminated against. She did suffer disadvantage. It is plain as a pikestaff. Government lawyers should run up the white flag now. Never mind Strasbourg: it is time for some common sense.”