Polish MEPs accuse French court of 'religious discrimination'
PR dla Zagranicy
Victoria Bieniek
31.10.2017 12:26
A group of Polish Members of the European Parliament have called a French decision to remove a cross from a public space “religious discrimination”, the Gazeta Polska Codziennie daily has said.
Monument to John Paul II in Ploërmel. Photo: chisloup/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)
The MEPs, all from the conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party which rules in Warsaw, have asked the European Commission to intervene.
Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Konrad Szymański said the French decision was “extraordinary” and accused Europe of denying Christians their identity.
“Europe boasts being open to all possible identities, but it turns out, it is all but Christian, which is key for Europe,” he said.
A top French court said the statue of the late Polish-born Pope John Paul II violated the principle of separation of church and state and gave authorities in the north-western French city of Ploërmel six months to remove a cross from the monument, or else the whole statue would be taken down.
Poland’s prime minister has called the French court's decision “censorship” and said Poland would be willing to provide a new home for the monument, should it be taken down.
Sochaczew, a town west of Warsaw, has said it is prepared to accept the statue, adding that the French court’s decision was reminiscent of “totalitarianism”. (vb/pk)
Source: PAP, IAR