HOAX - 'Belgium Mayor Explains Why he Refused to Ban Pork From School Canteens'

"Circulating message features a strident letter supposedly sent to parents by Marc Duvivier, the mayor of the Belgium municipality of Ath, explaining why he refused to give in to demands from local Muslims to remove pork from school canteen menus."
Sorry, but it just is not true. TD

 

Hoax Slayer  
Message is a Hoax - No such Demands Were Made - No Letter Sent

However, the message is just a nasty hoax.   Mayor Duvivier did not write the letter and it was not sent to local parents by the municipality as claimed.

In fact, the mayor has denied that any requests to remove pork from school canteens were received in the first place.  Mayor Duvivier issued a denial back in 2013 when the hoax first began circulating, noting that the claims were lies. He stated that:

[N]o person of any nationality or ethnic group whatsoever, have made ​​such a request to the municipal services, with Mr. Bruno Boel, Municipal Secretary, or myself.

It is unclear who started the false rumour. Given that the supposed Muslim demands to ban pork from canteens were never made, and the mayor did not write or send the letter, this message has no credibility whatsoever and should not be circulated.

Such false information can foster bigotry and hatred within communities and sharing it will serve no good purpose.

 

Subway announced they are pulling all pork products from their United Kingdom outlets.