Ahead of the hearing at the European Court of Justice, which is expected next month, into the legality of measures adopted by Belgium’s Flanders and Wallonia regions banning religious slaughter, Chief Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, president of the Conference of European Rabbis (CER), said:
“Freedom of Religion is enshrined in the EU Charter. It is a fundamental concern of the EU and since its inception, the EU has fought to preserve a society where all faiths are welcomed. Any ban may deprive Jews of being able to eat meat – a right that all other citizens of Europe enjoy. The message would be clear: Jews are not welcome. Such a notion is abhorrent and so I implore the judges to look at the evidence in front of them and do not allow the processes to be hijacked by intolerance under the guise of a concern for animal welfare regulations.”