The European Court of Human Rights ruled on Tuesday that Italian schools should remove crucifixes from classroom walls, saying their presence could disturb children who were not Christians.

Europe's court says the display of crucifixes in Italian public schools violates religious and education freedoms under the continent's rights convention.

The case was brought by an Italian national, Soile Lautsi, who complained that her children had to attend a public school in northern Italy which had crucifixes in every room.

The ruling, which could force a Europe-wide review of the use of religious symbols in government-run schools, rejected arguments by Italy's government that the crucifix was a national symbol of culture, history and identity, tolerance and secularism.

Lautsi said this ran counter to her right to give her children a secular education and the Strasbourg-based court ruled in her favour.

"The presence of the crucifix ... could be encouraging for religious pupils, but also disturbing for pupils who practised other religions or were atheists, particularly if they belonged to religious minorities," the court said in a written ruling.

The court awarded Lautsi 5,000 euros ($7,315) in damages.

Two Italian laws dating from the 1920s, when the Fascists were in power, state that schools must display crucifixes.



Agencies