Germany
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Germany’s antisemitism commissioner Felix Klein slammed right-wing populist party AfD’s legislation to ban religious slaughter in Germany as an affront to the fundamental rights of the Jewish community.

“The motion by the AfD parliamentary group to ban religious slaughter in Germany is a fundamental attack on Jewish life in Germany,” said Klein, according to RND.

“If Jews are to be restricted in their religious practice, this constitutes an encroachment on religious freedom. The last time that [kosher slaughter] was banned in Germany was by National Socialist legislation in April 1933.”

He stressed that Jewish dietary laws are insuperable from religious slaughter and are central to the Jewish identity.

He added that the current regulations surrounding kosher slaughter are strict and meet high EU standards, representing a careful balance between religious rights and animal welfare.