The justice ministry considers that whites should after all have the option of eating pork, a spokesman has stated in reaction to a report in De Telegraaf. According to the newspaper, many Dutch prisons currently only serve Islamic food.
The ministry has concluded contracts in which the suppliers only provide halal food. Having two different menus was found too expensive. Prisoners are as a result no longer given any pork and only ritually-slaughtered beef or lamb, according to De Telegraaf.
The matter came to light in a court case brought by a prisoner against his prison in Sittard. “Freedom of religion is a great asset,” said his lawyer. “But my client does not want to have any religion forced on him, he simply wants some meatballs.”
The justice ministry said after the publication in the newspaper that pork will be put back on the menu for those who want it. How many prisons in the Netherlands only put Islamic food on the menu will also be investigated.
The Party for Freedom (PVV) will request clarification from the cabinet in today’s weekly Question Hour. “It is known that Dutch prisons are packed with Muslims, but that of course does not mean that you must serve everyone with meat from ritually slaughtered animals,” according to MP Sietse Fritsma.