(Euronews) In the heart of Germany’s capital, a heated political debate has reignited over the boundaries of religious freedom in the public sphere.
The Bundestag’s Green Party group has submitted a motion to abolish Berlin’s Neutrality Act (“Neutralitätsgesetz”), a law that prohibits public employees — including teachers, police officers, and judicial staff — from wearing visible religious symbols while on duty.
The proposal has thrust Berlin into a larger European conversation about the intersection of secularism, religious freedom, and workplace neutrality.
Across the continent, different legal and cultural approaches highlight a lack of consensus on whether religious symbols — most notably, Islamic headscarves and veils — should be allowed in state institutions.
