Far-right racists threaten to burn down German kindergartens because they stopped serving pork

Mayor speaks out against far-right threat to freedom

Far-right racists in Germany have threatened to burn down two nursery schools and kill their management if they do not reintroduce pork to their lunch menus.

Two daycare centres in the city of Leipzig were criticised by right-wing politicians for removing pork, apparently out of consideration for Muslim children who attend.

Burkhard Jung, Leipzig’s social democratic mayor, said the criticism had sparked a tirade of hate and threats against the kindergartens and city authorities from people with far-right and Islamophobic views.

In an emotional post on social media Mr Jung recounted threats that had been received by the nursery in the past week, including pledges to burn it down if pork was not introduced before a certain date, threats to kill those responsible for the menu with a “knife in the heart”, and others to beat up its staff “until [they] are unable to work”.

He said the threats, of which he had only recounted a “small selection” had been received both in writing an in person, adding: “I’m speechless”.

The mayor said the menu change was “nothing unusual” and that reasons for changing the food offer could have been “diverse” – including cultural, taste, or nutritional reasons.

He said the change was “a free decision in a free country” and not a subject for cultural debate.

Mr Jung criticised politicians from the far-right AfD party for allegedly contributing to the hysteria by name, pointing the finger at the “Gaulands, Weidels and Höckes who continue to verbally beat up on those weaker than them”.

“In 2019, kindergartens are threatened when they change their menu, because it does not fit a small-minded picture of the world,” the mayor said.

“The sinking of western civilization and the danger to our enlightened freedom is not the result of those who, for whatever reason, have a different food culture than it is common at the traditional German regular table, but because of those who have lost their moral compass.

“We must not look away, not keep quiet, not hide away: Freedom, equality and empathy are also at risk in our country.”

Earlier this month the board of the two daycare centres announced “in consideration for a changing world” that they would develop a pork-free menu, though they did not specifically mention Islam as the reason.

The daycare centres were given a police guard earlier in the week following the threats.