| abstract | - Lautsi v. Italy is a case of the European Court of Human Rights, which ruled unanimously in 2009 that crucifixes in Italian public school classes are contrary to parents' right to educate their children in line with their convictions and to children’s right to freedom of religion (art. 2 of the 1st Protocol, and art. 9 of the Convention). The Court did not impose the removal of crucifixes from school classes, which would have been beyond the power of the court, but condemned Italy to pay 5.000 euros for "moral prejudice". The case stems from a request of Mrs. Soile Tuulikki Lautsi, citizen of Finland and of Italy, against the School Council of a school in Abano Terme (province of Padua). After the dismissal of her request, Mrs. Lautsi filed appeal to the Regional Administrative Tribunal, which also dismissed the case. Mrs. Lautsi then appealed to the European Court of Human Rights. It caused an uproar in the Italian politics, and prime minister Silvio Berlusconi's conservative government vowed to oppose the decision.
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