Danish town makes pork compulsory as anti-Islamists wage 'meatball war'
- 8 years ago
RANDERS, DENMARK — A town in central Denmark made it mandatory on Monday for public institutions to serve pork, reigniting the country's so-called "meatball war."
In a move welcomed by the anti-immigration Danish People's Party (DPP), Randers town council said pork was an essential part of Danish food culture, according to an Agence-France Presse report published in the Guardian.
The council added that pork should be served on an equal footing with other foods.
In agreeing by 16 votes to 15 to make pork products mandatory, the council had picked at an old wound, the Local reported.
Denmark's "meatball war" hit its height in 2013 when the country debated if public institutions should ban pork in deference to Muslims, according to the Local.
Then-prime minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt hit out at nurseries that took pork off their menus, but a survey by the Ekstra Bladet tabloid at the time found just 30 of more than 1,700 daycare centers had stopped serving pork or switched to halal meat, AFP reported.
The meatball war restarted last week, when Integration Minister Inger Stoberg falsely claimed a family in the city of Aalborg had pulled their child from a public daycare centre because it banned pork, according to the Local.
In 2013, the DPP quit a mayoral campaign in a Copenhagen suburb in exchange for more pork meatballs in public canteens and the return of the town's Christmas tree, AFP reported.
On Tuesday, DPP spokesman Martin Henriksen welcomed compulsory pork in a Facebook post. He added the party would continue to "fight against Islamic rules and misguided considerations dictating what Danish children eat."
But Randers councillor Mogens Nyholm of the Social Liberals, who voted against the proposal, said it was ridiculous and there was no Danish institution where you couldn't eat a hot dog if you wanted to, the Local reported.
Fewer than 300,000 Muslims are part of Denmark's 5.6 million population — which is vastly outnumbered by more than 13 million pigs.
Live pigs and pork products account for around 5 percent of Denmark's exports, AFP reported.
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In a move welcomed by the anti-immigration Danish People's Party (DPP), Randers town council said pork was an essential part of Danish food culture, according to an Agence-France Presse report published in the Guardian.
The council added that pork should be served on an equal footing with other foods.
In agreeing by 16 votes to 15 to make pork products mandatory, the council had picked at an old wound, the Local reported.
Denmark's "meatball war" hit its height in 2013 when the country debated if public institutions should ban pork in deference to Muslims, according to the Local.
Then-prime minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt hit out at nurseries that took pork off their menus, but a survey by the Ekstra Bladet tabloid at the time found just 30 of more than 1,700 daycare centers had stopped serving pork or switched to halal meat, AFP reported.
The meatball war restarted last week, when Integration Minister Inger Stoberg falsely claimed a family in the city of Aalborg had pulled their child from a public daycare centre because it banned pork, according to the Local.
In 2013, the DPP quit a mayoral campaign in a Copenhagen suburb in exchange for more pork meatballs in public canteens and the return of the town's Christmas tree, AFP reported.
On Tuesday, DPP spokesman Martin Henriksen welcomed compulsory pork in a Facebook post. He added the party would continue to "fight against Islamic rules and misguided considerations dictating what Danish children eat."
But Randers councillor Mogens Nyholm of the Social Liberals, who voted against the proposal, said it was ridiculous and there was no Danish institution where you couldn't eat a hot dog if you wanted to, the Local reported.
Fewer than 300,000 Muslims are part of Denmark's 5.6 million population — which is vastly outnumbered by more than 13 million pigs.
Live pigs and pork products account for around 5 percent of Denmark's exports, AFP reported.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Welcome to TomoNews, where we animate the most entertaining news on the internets. Come here for an animated look at viral headlines, US news, celebrity gossip, salacious scandals, dumb criminals and much more! Subscribe now for daily news animations that will knock your socks off.
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Check out our Android app: http://bit.ly/1rddhCj
Check out our iOS app: http://bit.ly/1gO3z1f
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