Nearly 6,000 Romanian evangelical Christians have marched to the German embassy in London. They were protesting against the forced removal of all seven children of Petre and Camelia Furdui, of Hanover, who stand accused of ‘religious indoctrination’ by the German child protection agency, the Jugendamt.
The Furdui family, originally from Romania, has lived in Germany for nine years. The children range in age from 15 to one. Last April all seven were removed following extensive conversations between the social worker and the eldest child, who had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. They discussed religious education and Mr and Mrs Furdui believe the Jugendamt deemed them be religious fanatics and incapable of educating their children in the spirit of the times. The six eldest children were then placed in a children’s home; the youngest is now with foster parents.
At the march, the Romanian Protestant Community in London called on the German government to account for its actions. In particular, it stresses the lack of any evidence of physical or mental abuse against the children; the bruises now visible on the body of the youngest; the pressure put on the parents to tell their children to forget their family and adapt to the institution; the absence of any plan for family reunification, and the pressure on parents not to make the situation public.
