Ottawa, Canada - A Canadian judge has ordered the removal of a Christmas tree from a Toronto courthouse lobby, saying it might offend non-Christians.
In a letter to staff on Wednesday, Justice Marion Cohen said the decorated tree made non-Christians feel "they are not part of this institution" and was an inappropriate symbol to greet visitors.
But the judge's order prompted an angry reaction on Thursday.
"There's no reason why a Christmas tree can't be put wherever people want it to be. It's by no means an offense, I believe, to any religion," an attorney told broadcaster CTV.
Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty called the decision "unfortunate."
"We enjoy the wonderful privilege of building a pluralistic, multicultural society," he told the Toronto Star. But no one should be "asked to abandon their traditions."
"It doesn't offend anyone when we celebrate Diwali at Queen's Park (the Ontario provincial legislature) or celebrate Hanukah at Queen's Park," McGuinty said. "That's part and parcel of who we are."
Still, the artificial tree was moved to an administrative corridor in the courthouse.
More than 70 percent of Canadians identified themselves as Christian, including almost 13 million Roman Catholics, in the last census in 2001.
Muslims account for about two percent of the population. Jews, Buddhists, Hindus and Sikhs each represent about one percent.