INTERNACIONAL
Cities across Europe revise Christmas traditions, triggering public backlash
‘Modern’ nativity sparks outrage in Belgium
An art installation by German artist Victoria-Maria featuring the Christmas nativity scene with faceless characters. The faceless figures dubbed «zombies» has fueled backlash, vandalism and debate over faith and tradition. (EFE via Reuters Connect.)
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Across Europe, a growing number of local governments, schools and publicly funded institutions are facing backlash over changes to how Christmas is presented, as officials promote what they describe as more «inclusive» approaches to the holiday season.
In Belgium, controversy erupted this month after Brussels unveiled a modern reinterpretation of a traditional nativity scene in the city’s Grand Place. The installation features faceless figures and was promoted as a contemporary and inclusive artistic display. The scene has since been vandalized and sharply criticized by local politicians and residents, according to the Catholic News Agency.
The installation also drew immediate reaction online. Belgian national soccer team player Thomas Meunier sparked widespread reaction on X when he wrote, «We’ve hit rock bottom… and we keep digging,» a post that was shared thousands of times.
TEXAS CHURCH DEPICTS HOLY FAMILY IN CAGE WRAPPED IN BARBED WIRE IN NATIVITY DISPLAY
An artwork by German artist Victoria-Maria featuring the Christmas nativity scene with faceless characters is displayed on the Grand-Place in Brussels on November 28, 2025. (Nicolas TUCAT / AFP via Getty Images)
Brussels Mayor Philippe Close, a member of the Socialist Party, defended the decision at a Friday press conference, arguing that the city was trying to strike a balance during the holiday season. «In this Christmas period, we need to tone it down,» Close said, adding that while Brussels chose to maintain a nativity display, other cities had removed theirs entirely.
«The old Nativity scene had been in use for 25 years and was showing many defects,» Close said. «It was time to take a new direction. We are very happy with Victoria-Maria’s creation, and we want to make sure the artist is not attacked personally.»
The Brussels dispute reflects a broader pattern emerging across Europe as institutions rethink traditional Christmas symbols and language.
Decolonizing Santa
In the United Kingdom, a publicly funded museum sparked outrage after publishing a blog suggesting that Father Christmas should be «decolonized,» according to The Sun. The blog post, which was originally published two years ago, was written by Simone LaCorbinière, the museum’s Joint Head of Culture Change at Brighton and Hove Museums. She argued that the traditional image of Santa Claus was «too white and too male» and criticized the idea of a single figure judging children through a «naughty or nice» list.
CHURCH SPARKS CONTROVERSY WITH EMPTY NATIVITY SCENE AND ICE ENFORCEMENT MESSAGE: ‘POLITICIZING CHRISTMAS’
People take part during the unveiling ceremony of the crib in St Peter’s Square at the Vatican, on Dec. 24, 2011. (Andreas Solaro/AFP via Getty Images)
LaCorbinière urged parents to imagine Santa as a more diverse figure who «celebrates cultural exchange.» «Have Santa learn about different cultures rather than judge them,» she wrote, suggesting stories could show him experiencing different traditions. She also proposed including «Mother Christmases,» arguing that «patriarchy and colonialism went hand in hand.»
The comments drew condemnation from politicians. Senior Conservative Party MP Sir Alec Shelbrooke said the initiative was misguided, stating: «At a time of goodwill and festive cheer, it seems woke do-gooders would rather everybody was miserable. This is the worst possible use of taxpayer funds.»
No more Christmas sweaters
Elsewhere in Britain, schools have also faced scrutiny for restricting Christmas-themed clothing or renaming holiday events, according to GB News. Several schools reportedly replaced Christmas sweater days with more generic «winter» or «seasonal» attire to avoid religious references.
People take part in an Ugly Christmas Sweater Run on Dec. 16, 2017 in The Vondelpark in Amsterdam. (Koen Van Weel/ANP/AFP via Getty Images)
Christmas music at risk
Debates have also extended to holiday music. According to The Telegraph, Labour’s controversial Employment Rights Bill, which became law last week, places a legal duty on employers to prevent harassment by third parties related to protected characteristics such as religion. Critics argue the law could affect workplace Christmas music, including songs such as «Baby It’s Cold Outside,» «Do They Know It’s Christmas?» and «Jingle Bells,» all of which have faced renewed criticism in recent years.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
In a statement on X, the head of the U.K.’s Free Speech Union, Lord Young, was quoted as saying, «The Government didn’t listen, insisting we were being alarmist, but a ban on Christmas music and carol singing will be the least of it. Prepare to live in a country in which every hospitality venue is a micromanaged ‘safe space’, overseen by lanyard-wearing banter bouncers. Welcome to Starmer’s Britain.»
christianity religion,christmas,europe
INTERNACIONAL
Donald Trump se mete en la disputa por una isla en el Océano Índico y choca con Gran Bretaña
Desalojo
¿Qué quiere el gobierno de Donald Trump?
“Un gran error»
La importancia de la isla Diego García
Rechazo en Gran Bretaña
La base para atacar a Irán
INTERNACIONAL
GOP rips FISA court for tapping ex-Biden ‘disinformation’ lawyer to advise on surveillance
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Republican lawmakers called it «insane» that the secretive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court appointed to a key advisory panel a lawyer with past ties to the Biden administration’s controversial Disinformation Governance Board.
Judges on the FISC appointed Jennifer Daskal this month to serve as an amicus curiae, meaning Daskal is now among a small group of lawyers designated to advise the secretive court, which approves warrants for federal authorities to surveil targets for foreign intelligence purposes. The GOP lawmakers say Daskal’s history with the disinformation board raises worries about her ability to discern whether warrants are appropriate.
«The same person who helped to build a board to censor American speech now advises judges on how to protect American liberties,» House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, told Fox News Digital in a statement. «That’s ridiculous — and exactly why Congress must continue our oversight.»
HOUSE PASSES FISA RENEWAL WITHOUT ADDED WARRANT MANDATE FOR US DATA
Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, looks on during a hearing with the House Judiciary Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on Sept. 3, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., echoed Jordan’s concerns, saying Daskal’s appointment was «insane» and calling for reforms to the FISC.
Schmitt shared a video of himself on X questioning Daskal during a hearing about what he called the Biden administration’s «censorship enterprise,» referencing Daskal’s role in aiming to dispel what the administration viewed as inaccurate information about COVID-19 masks and vaccines and information about election security.
FISC proceedings are classified and «ex parte,» meaning a judge reviews the federal government’s warrant application and the target of the warrant has no awareness of the proceedings. A judge reviewing the application can, however, turn to an amicus curiae to present counterpoints to the government’s application, meaning Daskal is among a handful of lawyers who could be tapped to argue against allowing the government to wiretap a person’s phones or otherwise surveil them.
The logo of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is seen at the Los Angeles Federal Building after a news conference to provide an update on the investigation into a May 18, 2025, bombing at a fertility clinic in Palm Springs, California, on June 4, 2025, in Los Angeles. (PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
Under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, the government has access to these powerful spy tools for foreign intelligence purposes, but it has sometimes, whether inadvertently or intentionally, improperly targeted U.S. citizens.
Building more guardrails into the legislation has long been a point of contention for privacy hawks. Republicans, in particular, became highly critical of the FISC after finding that the court approved the FBI’s warrant applications, which contained flimsy and inaccurate evidence, to surveil Trump campaign aide Carter Page beginning in 2016.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, told the Washington Free Beacon, which first reported on Daskal’s appointment, that the «American people need to have confidence in the people tasked to serve as amici» before the FISC. Grassley pointed to a bill he introduced, the FISA Accountability Act, which would allow Congress to have a say in who is chosen as an amicus curiae.
Jordan and Grassley have been some of the most vocal proponents of reining in the federal government’s use of FISA after identifying instances in recent years of intelligence officials allegedly abusing their authority and infringing on U.S. citizens’ Fourth Amendment right to privacy. In the case of Page, DOJ inspector general Michael Horowitz released a report in 2019 that identified more than a dozen «significant errors or omissions» across the FBI’s four warrant applications used to surveil the former Trump aide. Daskal, in her new role, could offer confidential, weighty legal arguments to a FISC judge that support or oppose intelligence officials’ requests to surveil someone.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, is seen in the U.S. Capitol during votes related to the government shutdown on Thursday, October 16, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Daskal served as a top lawyer in the Department of Homeland Security when she helped launch the Disinformation Governance Board. Conservatives heavily criticized it, describing the board as a «Ministry of Truth» that sought to censor their viewpoints in violation of the First Amendment.
Daskal chartered the board, while Nina Jankowicz was named its executive director, an appointment that fueled Republicans’ fury over it after finding Jankowicz’ past social media posts that they said revealed she was too partisan. Jankowicz, for instance, cast doubt on the New York Post’s bombshell story in 2020 about Hunter Biden’s laptop, which she said fit a pattern of Russian «information laundering.» Biden administration officials vehemently objected to the claims in the New York Post’s story about Joe Biden’s handling of Ukrainian foreign policy, though the authenticity of the laptop itself has been verified through court proceedings.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Republicans put so much pressure on DHS about the board — calling it an «abuse of taxpayer dollars» and raising alarm that it painted policy disagreements over COVID-19, election security and immigration as mis- or dis- information — that it disbanded just a few months after its launch.
In Daskal’s hearing exchange with Schmitt, Daskal said «it’s not appropriate for the government to censor any points of view.» Daskal did not respond to a request for comment for this story.
fbi,judiciary,congress
INTERNACIONAL
Russia urges Iran, ‘all parties’ in Middle East to show restraint amid US military buildup
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Russia warned Iran and «all parties in the region to exercise restraint and caution» Thursday amid a U.S. military buildup in the Middle East.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov made the remark as the world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, and its strike group are moving from the Caribbean toward the Middle East.
«Russia continues to develop relations with Iran, and in doing so, we call on our Iranian friends and all parties in the region to exercise restraint and caution, and we urge them to prioritize political and diplomatic means in resolving any problems,» Peskov said Thursday, according to Reuters.
«Right now, we are indeed seeing an unprecedented escalation of tensions in the region. But we still expect that political and diplomatic means and negotiations will continue to prevail in the search for a settlement,» he added.
WORLD’S LARGEST AIRCRAFT CARRIER HEADS TO MIDDLE EAST AS IRAN NUCLEAR TENSIONS SPIKE DRAMATICALLY
A F-18E fighter jet takes off from aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford as it sails during NATO Neptune Strike 2025 exercise on Sept. 24, 2025, in the North Sea. (Jonathan Klein/AFP via Getty Images)
The move of the USS Gerald R. Ford would place two aircraft carriers and their accompanying warships in the region. The USS Abraham Lincoln and three guided-missile destroyers arrived in the Middle East more than two weeks ago.
Negotiations between the United States and Iran over the latter’s nuclear program advanced Tuesday toward what Tehran described as the beginning of a potential framework, but sharp public divisions between the two sides underscored how far apart they remain.
IRAN FIRES LIVE MISSILES INTO STRAIT OF HORMUZ AS TRUMP ENVOYS ARRIVE FOR NUCLEAR TALKS
The USS Gerald R. Ford is heading toward the Middle East as tensions with Iran escalate and President Donald Trump demands full nuclear dismantlement. (Jonathan Klein/AFP via Getty Images)
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said the two sides reached a «general agreement on a number of guiding principles» and agreed to begin drafting text for a possible agreement, with plans to exchange drafts and schedule a third round of talks.
Yet Washington has publicly insisted that any agreement must result in the dismantling of Iran’s nuclear program — including its enrichment capacity — along with limits on Tehran’s ballistic missile program and an end to its support for allied militant groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah.
The world’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford, is seen in the North Sea during NATO Neptune Strike 2025 exercise in September 2025. (Jonathan Klein/AFP via Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Those demands go well beyond temporary enrichment pauses or technical adjustments.
Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner and Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.
iran,russia,military,nuclear proliferation,middle east,world
Dura crítica del Gobierno a la CGT por el paro: “Lo que hacen es complicarles la vida a los trabajadores”
¡Enemiga! Fernanda Iglesias anticipó cuándo será el final de Yanina Latorre: «Escupe para arriba y le vamos a poner lo mismo»
La dura crítica de Samid al sistema de salud uruguayo: “Si me quedaba, hoy estaría en un cajón”
La confianza del consumidor cayó un 4,7% en febrero y se hundieron las expectativas
El Manchester United se cansa de Jadon Sancho: un negocio ruinoso
Durante la primera sesión de la Junta de Paz, Javier Milei ofreció los Cascos Blancos para la reconstrucción de Gaza
Reforma laboral bomba: menos indemnización, más horas y despidos más fáciles — el cambio que puede sacudir el empleo en Argentina
Cristian Ritondo: “Vamos a apoyar la ley de modernización laboral, pero no el régimen de licencias por enfermedad”
El dólar no sólo cae en la Argentina: qué pasa con otras monedas emergentes y cuáles son las causas
Tras el anuncio de la CGT, también habrá paro total de los medios de transporte de pasajeros en el país
POLITICA2 días agoReforma laboral bomba: menos indemnización, más horas y despidos más fáciles — el cambio que puede sacudir el empleo en Argentina
- POLITICA3 días ago
Cristian Ritondo: “Vamos a apoyar la ley de modernización laboral, pero no el régimen de licencias por enfermedad”
- ECONOMIA3 días ago
El dólar no sólo cae en la Argentina: qué pasa con otras monedas emergentes y cuáles son las causas
