Briefing: the Christians taking their fight to Europe

Away from the drama of the reshuffle, the European Court of Human Rights is hearing the pleas of four British Christians, who are arguing that UK law inadequately protects their right to manifest their faith under articles 9 and 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

The applicants’ cases are well known. Nadia Eweida, a British Airways employee, was asked to remove or conceal the crucifix that she wore around her neck in line with new uniform prescriptions. She did so on several occasions, but eventually refused and was sent home. She lost her workplace discrimination claims on grounds that she had breached her employer’s regulations without good cause. The government’s legal position stated that Eweida did not have an absolute right to wear her crucifix because the symbol is not a requirement of faith. Another claimant, Shirley Chaplin, an NHS nurse of 30 years’ service, was removed to a desk job when she refused to remove the crucifix around her neck.