Love Thy Neighbour: August 2006 Archives

Germany: In what might appear to be a blatant case of religious discrimination, a Berlin family has received an eviction notice because they have been praying. But these are no ordinary prayers.

The residents at Franz Stenzer Strasse 71 in eastern Berlin say they need their sleep, Lucifer or no Lucifer. Their nocturnal rest has been disturbed by the regular high-decibel praying coming from the apartment on the second floor. There, a family's religious beliefs mandate that they raise the voices to keep the Evil One at bay.

The deafening devotion began back in October, when Pierre D., his wife and their four children moved into the apartment. They began praying four times daily at volumes that not only appeared to keep Beezelbub at bay, but alienated the other tenants, who had asked them repeatedly to keep it down.

Stentorian Praying Results in Eviction Notice—Deutsche Welle, 17th August 2006.

England: Newham Council in London is looking for a child protection officer specifically to work with cases of abused children who are believed to be posessed or witches. The council acknowledges that the number of cases is miniscule, and it's amusing the way they try and avoid mentioning that it's mostly associated with a tiny minority of evangelical Christian churches who exploit African communities in Britain. The local newspaper, on the other hand, seems to have gone out of its way to suggest that it's about witches abusing children, with phrases like witch-hunter and dedicated to rooting out child abuse linked with 'possession' and 'witchcraft'. Obviously the article was being written last night when the journalist ought to have been watching BBC2.

'The witch-hunter' - Officer to root out child abuse—Newham Recorder, 23rd August 2006. See also Media in moral panic shocker!—Pagan Prattle, 26th June 2005.