Christmas Banned at Copenhagen Climate Conference
By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
Citing the need to be “neutral,” officials charged with organizing the United Nations (UN) conference on global warming in Copenhagen have banned Christmas trees from the venue.
According to the Copenhagen Post, since Christmas is a religious holiday, UN officials say Christmas trees have no place at the summit.
"We have to remember that this is a U.N. conference and, as the center then becomes U.N. territory, there can be no Christmas trees in the decor, because the U.N. wishes to maintain neutrality," said Denmark Foreign Ministry official Svend Olling.
The sponsor who donated fir trees to be used as Christmas trees for the conference learned about this policy when he attempted to deliver the trees and was turned away by event planners. The trees were originally planned to be placed outside the Bella Center where the 11-day conference is being held from Dec. 7 – 18.
More than 110 heads of state and government will attend the final days of the two-week conference, including President Barack Obama whose decision to attend the end of the conference is being taken as a sign that an agreement between nations on the best way to combat global warming may be possible.
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