Posted on 02/04/2015 3:57:02 PM PST by Zionist Conspirator
Britain's right-wing Independence Party has outraged Jews by announcing it is backing a ban on shechita, a reversal of its prior policy.
Britains right-wing UK Independence Party (UKIP) has voted to support a plan to outlaw the ritual slaughter of animals for meat without prior stunning. UKIP is the fourth largest British party in the European Parliament.
Britains RSPCA and the British Veterinary Association have called on the government to ban ritual slaughter. Prime Minister David Cameron has promised to allow exemptions for religious purposes such as the Jewish practice of shechita and the Muslim tradition of halal.
Both forbid stunning the animal before slaughter, which in Jewish law must be accomplished with a scrupulously sharpened blade and a single, rapid, surgical cut.
UKIP leader Nigel Farage, who reversed himself in the vote and backed the ban, has since been accused of driving Jews from Britain with the new policy, the Daily Mail reported.
British Jews are already considering their alternatives in the face of rising anti-Semitism at home and across Europe. Last summer alone there was a 400 percent increase in the number of anti-Semitic crimes committed in Britain.
We respect religious groups to carry out slaughter in the UK according to how they define and read their scriptures. What we do not allow however is for the rights and demands of groups within those religion override the UKs compassionate traditions of animal welfare.
Animal and veterinary science has long concluded that cutting the throats of animals whilst they are fully conscious can cause significant distress and pain. We see no reason why religious groups should not take into account the concerns of animal welfare when carrying out slaughter, the party said in its statement, calling the governments protection of religious rights weak, lazy and bordering on spineless.
Agriculture spokesperson Stuart Agnew told Britains Jewish Chronicle newspaper he opposed the policy but was overruled. This isnt aimed at you its aimed elsewhere its aimed at others. Youve been caught in the crossfire; collateral damage. You know what I mean.
Both Agnew and Farage had previously vowed to oppose the ban.
About the Author: Hana Levi Julian is a Middle East news analyst with a degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from Southern Connecticut State University. A past columnist with The Jewish Press and senior editor at Arutz 7, Ms. Julian has written for Babble.com, Chabad.org and other media outlets, in addition to her years working in broadcast journalism.
Thanks for the commentary on current news of radical activists. We should avoid being cruel to animals, but maybe they’re up to something else. Maybe they’re anti-competition fronts for tyrannical interests.
Yes, the phrase "not enforceable at present," carries with it the implication that IF circumstances changed, such that people like ZC came into power and had no fear of blow-back, then those rules WOULD be enforced.
That’s pretty funny coming from a Christian, where Jesus’ first action on return will be killing billions of people.
Declarations in the here-and-now about what somebody may feel to be religiously-mandated behavior regarding killing or enslaving others (provided it can be done without consequences to the performer) are something else.
You have a problem with legitimately established courts of justice administering the death penalty after due process?
You would be fine with "courts of justice" administering the death penalty for adultery, blasphemy, or homosexuality?
Keep in mind that most of the biggest mass murder events, from the Holocaust to the Killing Fields, were carried out in administration of the laws of the government in power at the time.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.