With the crucifix being a large part of Italian history it has always argued that the crucifix is a symbol of its culture and is not an issue that should be dealt with outside the country.

The legal battle began nine years ago in Padua when Soile Lautsi, an Italian citizen originally from Finland, began her petition that the crucifix in classrooms did not allow religious freedom for her children. After her case was rejected by the Italian courts, she took it to the ECHR. Lautsi won the case in the European court, which ruled that Italy would have to take the crucifixes off the walls in its schools.