Poll: 45 percent of Britons favor banning ritual slaughter

38% of respondents say they also support ban on non-medical circumcision

29 March 2013, 10:04 pm

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Illustrative photo of an Ultra-Orthodox Jewish man holding a chicken later to be slaughtered as part of a Kaparot ritual (photo credit: Pierre Terdjman /Flash90)

JTA — About 45 percent of 1,900 Britons polled favored banning Jewish ritual slaughter and 38% said they favored banning nonmedical circumcision.

In the poll, which was conducted last week by the YouGov polling agency for The Jewish Chronicle of London, 45% of respondents backed banning ritual slaughter, known as shechitah. Another 28% said they were undecided and 27% opposed such a ban.

When asked about “male circumcision for religious reasons,” 38% supported a ban, 35% opposed a ban and 27% were undecided, The Jewish Chronicle reported this week.

Among 18-24 year-olds, 41% would ban both nonmedical circumcision in underage boys and ritual slaughter of animals for food.