Crosses in Bavarian state buildings may remain
The Free State of Bavaria does not have to remove the crosses displayed in its official buildings. This was decided by the Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig. They would "not violate the right of other ideological communities to freedom of religion", it says.
The crosses in Bavaria's authorities may remain in place. The Federal Administrative Court dismissed complaints against the controversial cross decree issued by Bavarian Minister President Markus Söder. The regulation, which has been in force since 2018, stipulates that a cross must hang in every state building in Bavaria. The highest German administrative court in Leipzig rejected an appeal against a previous decision by the Administrative Court (VGH) in Munich.
The crosses did not violate the right of other ideological communities to freedom of religion. The Federal Administrative Court also ruled that they did not violate the ban on discrimination on the grounds of faith under fundamental law.
The lawsuit was brought by the religiously critical Association for Freedom of Thought. It demanded the repeal of the decree and the removal of the crosses. However, the association had already conceded defeat before the Administrative Court last summer. Although the Administrative Court had seen a violation of the state's duty of neutrality, it essentially classified the crosses as passive symbols "without a proselytizing and indoctrinating effect".
In April 2018, the Bavarian cabinet passed the cross decree on the initiative of Söder, who had just become Minister President at the time. Despite fierce criticism - even from the churches, which accused Söder of misusing the Christian symbol for election campaign purposes - the decree came into force in June 2018. Paragraph 28 of the rules of procedure for the authorities of the Free State of Bavaria now states: "A cross must be displayed prominently in the entrance area of every office building as an expression of Bavaria's historical and cultural character."
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The decision to keep crosses in Bavarian state buildings was supported by Markus Söder, the Minister President of Bavaria. This ruling by the Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig acknowledged that the crosses do not infringe upon the rights of other religious communities to practice their faith.
Source: www.ntv.de
