The War on Christmas

Look how puny Lenin is next to Christmas.

(yes, I know it’s early….)

This time, it’s literal:

The on-going controversy over the Christmas tree and the housing association in Kokkedal, a town north of Copenhagen, took another turn this weekend, when two journalists from TV2 News escaped unharmed after their van was attacked by 25 masked individuals.

The journalists had gone to the Egedalsvænget housing complex to report on a petition that was gathering signatures of those who had lost confidence in the housing association’s board.

The board had voted against paying 8,000 kroner for the annual Christmas tree and party, but had earlier in the year approved the payment of 60,000 kroner for a party celebrating the Muslim holiday of Eid. Five out of nine of the board members are Muslims.

After the men arrived and exited the van, the attackers promptly began throwing bricks and cobblestones at it. The attackers shouted slurs at the journalists, such as “Neo-Nazi”, and told them to leave.

Following the attack that damaged the windows, doors and the dashboard of the van, the head of TV2 News condemned the treatment of his journalists.

“It’s completely outrageous that things like this happen, but I’m glad it was only our hardware that was attacked and that our personnel were unharmed,” Jacob Nybroe told Jyllands-Posten newspaper. “But it’s disappointing that we can’t cover the news everywhere in Denmark.”

A more expensive party was opted over a less expensive and more traditional Christmas party. There was also the usual thuggery that no one is supposed to mention.

 

Nothing says Christmas like “an electronic winter tree”:

Government officials in Brussels, Belgium banned Wednesday a popular Christmas tree exhibit out of concerns that the local Muslim population found it “offensive.”

An “electronic winter tree,” will take the place of the traditional Christmas Tree and Nativity scene at the city center of Grand Place, reports Brussels News.

The electronic sculpture will stand 25 meters (82 feet) tall and consists of a set of television screens, reports Brussels Expat. “During the daytime you can climb to the top of the tree where you will be able to enjoy a panoramic view of the city,” the website explains. “As soon as it becomes dark the tree turns into a spectacle of light and sound. Every ten minutes an amazing show will unfold.”

City councilwoman Bianca Debaets believes a “misplaced argument” over religious sensitivities has moved Brussels to put up the light sculpture. She points to the fact that it display not be referred to “Christmas” in any way to make her point.

“I suspect that the reference to the Christian religion was the decisive factor” in replacing the tree, she told reporters. “For a lot of people who are not Christians, the tree there is offensive to them.”

Normally, I would write about the futility of denying Jesus’ existence or  Christmas’ Christian roots and the deliberate stamping out of Christmas in order to make it more culturally palatable to the ever-offended (whoever they may be). But what one sees in Denmark and Belgium is why one must resist with every ounce of Yuletide strength one has. There are no other holidays I can think of where a fir or pine tree is decorated and lit up for all to see. It also stands to reason that if one group can ban a Christmas tree and Nativity scene, the elimination of the "electronic holiday tree" (in all its flashy, empty vulgarity) is not far behind. There is no cultural pluralism in stamping out aspects or the entirety of a holiday for a group of obviously emotionally frustrated people. There will be no line that can't be crossed once one line is removed altogether.

(With thanks)