Belgium’s Constitutional Court refers appeal against kosher slaughter ban for additional review by European Court of Justice, CCOJB and The Lawfare Project to continue legal fight

Press Release – For Immediate Release
April 4, 2019

Media Contacts
Nathan Miller or Liat Distler
(310) 571-8264
Nathan@miller-ink.com or Liat@miller-ink.com

BRUSSELS—Belgium's Constitutional Court ruled today that it needed to suspend the legal process in order to check the legality of the bans on religious slaughter passed in 2017 by the parliaments of Flanders and Wallonia. Following the passing of the discriminatory legislation, the Coordinating Committee of Jewish Organizations in Belgium (CCOJB) filed a lawsuit against the ban with support from The Lawfare Project, a legal think tank and litigation fund that files legal cases against anti-Jewish discrimination around the world.

The Court decided that it needs to check whether the bans on religious slaughter are compatible with European law. European legislation allows for religious slaughter as an exception to the rule of prior stunning, provided that religious slaughter is operated in an approved slaughterhouse.

The CCOJB and The Lawfare Project maintain that, while the ban was implemented with the stated purpose of animal welfare, that argument is flawed because animal welfare has always been central to the laws of kosher practice.

"We have been involved in this case since the start," said Brooke Goldstein, Executive Director of The Lawfare Project. "We will continue to work to ensure kosher slaughter is not banned."

About The Lawfare Project: Headquartered in New York, The Lawfare Project, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, is a legal think tank and litigation fund committed to protecting the civil and human rights of Jewish communities around the world. To learn more, please visit www.thelawfareproject.org.