Germany Uses Nazi Era Law to Imprison Mom for Homeschooling;
Family Flees to Austria

By Peter J. Smith

PADERBORN, Germany, September 14, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) –
German police stormed into the residence of a Christian home schooling family,
and arrested a mother for homeschooling her children, an offense established
since Nazi Germany. Now the woman’s husband has fled with their children to
seek refuge in Austria, which allows homeschooling under certain conditions
according to the Brussels Journal.

The Brussels Journal reports that Katherina Plett responded to a knock on
the door from an undercover police woman Thursday morning at 11:00PM.
Once the Baptist woman opened the door, police officers, hidden outside the
house, stormed into her home and arrested her for the crime of homeschooling
her children. The female officer insisted that she watch Mrs. Plett as she
changed her clothes claiming, “She would arm herself and shoot us all.”

German police then hauled Mrs. Plett off to Gelsenkirchen jail, where she is
serving a 10 day prison sentence for exercising her right to be the primary
educator of her children.

However, on Monday, Mrs. Plett’s husband gathered their children and fled
to Austria, finding asylum at a Christian family center in Wolfgangsee, Austria.
Another homeschooling family from Germany has also taken refuge after a
Paderborn court ordered the seizure of their children.

The sudden arrest of Katherina Plett has also evoked a growing realization
that the ghosts of Nazi Germany have resurged, as German authorities have
cracked down on homeschooling families (mostly Christian), who have no
intention of letting the German schools indoctrinate their children with
anti-Christian values.

In January 2005, a mother and father were each sentenced to six days
imprisonment in Westphalia after they refused to pay the fines for having
forbidden their children to attend a Christmas school play of Grimm’s
fairytale “King Thrushbeard”, which they considered blasphemous.

The arrest of Mrs. Plett came as the latest act in struggle between
7 homeschooling families in Paderborn and the local education board
of the county. According to the board’s director, Heinz Kohler, “The
parents’ right to personally educate their children would prevent the
children from growing up to be responsible individuals within society.”

The Paderborn homeschoolers had asked to set up a private school,
however the authorities dismissed the proposed compromise as a cover
for homeschooling maintaining, “The living room is not a class room.”

Manfred Müller, governor of Paderborn country, has also justified
charging homeschoolers with “High Treason,” saying “the obligation
to attend school is a civil obligation that cannot be tampered with.”

According to the Brussels Journal, Landrat Müller threatened to
charge Hermann Stücher, a 68 year old man giving aid to these
families with “High Treason and incitement of the people against
the authorities (Hochverrat und Volksverhetzung), the same charge
used by Nazis to squelch any resistance to their absolute power.
Stücher had called on all Christian parents to withdraw their
children from German public schools, which he says are dominated
by “neomarxist activists propagating atheist humanism, hedonism,
pluralism and materialism.”

The Brussels Journal says Mrs. Plett still suffers imprisonment in
Gelsenkirchen jail for advocating her parental right to educate her
own children, and remains divided from her family. Mrs. Plett may
not understand English, however those who wish to send a letter or
postcard of support may contact her here:

Frau Katharina Plett
c/o JVA Gelsenkirchen
Aldenhofstr. 99-101
45883 Gelsenkirchen
Tel.: 0209/ 4021-0
Fax: 0209/4021-301

Also, those who wish to respectfully convey their outrage at the
totalitarian persecution of Mrs. Plett, her family, and Germany’s
homeschoolers may use these contacts to contact German
embassies in the US and Canada:

US:
Wolfgang Ischinger
Ambassador
German Embassy
4645 Reservoir Road NW
Washington, DC, 20007-1998
(202) 298-4000

The embassy can be e-mailed from its website: http://www.globescope.biz/germany/reg/index.cfm

Canada:
Christian Pauls, Ambassador
German Embassy – Canada
1 Waverley Street, Ottawa, ON, K2P 0T8
Tel.: 613-232-1101 Fax: 613-594-9330
Email: germanembassyottawa@on.aibn.com

LifeSite readers may also respectfully voice their protest with the Landrat
(Governor) of Paderborn.

Landrat Paderborn: Mr. Manfred Mueller [landrat@kreis-paderborn.de]
(county official)

http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/sep/06091407.html

See story on another homeschooling family that fled Germany after the
father was jailed:
Home-school family in Germany flees after father jailed
By Jean-Baptiste Piggin
http://rawstory.com/news/2006/Home_school_family_in_Germany_flees_08282006.html

World Congress of Families President Condemns EU Ban on
Home Schooling
By Gudrun Schultz
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/oct/06101303.html
____________

My sympathies are with the families that are struggling against this evil.
It's coming down to it that christian families - even families from other
faiths that claim to be Godly- might have to make the decision to remove
their children from the state schools in order to simply homeschool their
children, or to put them in private schools that teach a God oriented
curriculum, when the school shows anti-God sentiment. I believe
that all people that claim to be Godly have to voice their opinion that
some of which the state schools wish to force on our children will not
do. A serious discussion needs to happen concerning this dilemma, and
options need to be created and discussed.

If there are people that are under the assumption that only christians
would be the only people that would be offended think again. Some of
what is starting to be encouraged in the state schools goes against some
of what is taught in Judaism and Islam as well from what I understand.
I know people, that are not really strong in faith, who wouldn't appreciate
some of what is being encouraged or being taught. If you are informed you
will know some of what I am talking about.

If the schools only taught the basic stuff, and stayed out of the social
commentary it wouldn't be so bad. The basic stuff should be computer
classes, reading, writing, arithmetic, science, gymnastics and along that
similar line. This is what they did when I was in school, and I was fine
with it. (We didn't have computer's at the time however.) If they want
to keep school "religion neutral"-fine. But don't then try to teach paganism.
Take it out completely-keep it completely neutral. You can't be
hypocritical and not allow Christianity, and then say it's ok to teach Islam.
Religion neutral-and that includes paganism (witchcraft, etc.) It might
mean giving up practicing many of the holidays as well. To keep something
neutral means just that. To negate Christ from Christmas (and Easter) just
makes it a bogus festival anyway. Personally, I would prefer it not be
celebrated at all if it is warped like that in the first place. I think most
people, upon reflection, might not be unhappy with that.

(I know what the true meaning of Christmas is, and I know who's birthday
will be honored that day in my home. I know no one will change that in
my heart and home. I've already made changes in my spending habits
due to the negating of Christ out of Christmas. I remember who those
businesses were and are. If there are people who want to celebrate a
bogus festival that is their business. Maybe those people should make
up their own festival name instead of using something with the name
Christ in it? Winter Berry Festival maybe?
----On a different thought---
I was in school when they removed prayer from the schools. When I
first started in school they had prayer before starting the class day, and
a bit of bible reading. I liked having it, and was not at all offended. I
remember when they replaced it with a moment of silent meditation. (?)
I remember not knowing exactly what that meant or what to do with
that. It was not the same. It was a different time then, and not all
that long ago either.)

And I don't care what you say-most people would not like the joys of
homosexuality being taught to their children. I don't know many people
around me who would appreciate it.

Schools should stay out of the business of social commentary or instilling
their views on "Correct Social Values" (sic)

If it were me I would be on a plane out of Europe with my family-NOT
that I would ever visit or live there in the first place. (And I know I'm
not all that inclined now after reading some of what I'm reading as far
as the EU alone-let alone the anti-american sentiment. I'll keep my
money.) I would do some research as to where to go. The EU obviously
does not believe in a true democracy. At least here in America we still
have the right to homeschool, and do have christian private schools.
AT least at the moment.

Like I said before a serious discussion needs to happen concerning this
problem, and options need to be found. It would be a good time for all
christians to start to pull and work together in order to deal
effectively with this growing secular anti-God sentiment in society. To
develop some kind of plan. I think having a christian summit on this
would be in order. It's going to take a combined effort to beat back
and fight against these forces.

Who will be our bold christian leaders to do that?