Minister retracts pork story

Integration Minister Inger Støjberg has apologised for claiming that a kindergarten in Aalborg, Denmark’s third-biggest city, refuses to allow children to eat pork, writes seven59.dk and b.dk.

During a speech to local Liberal Party members in Frederikshavn, Friday, the Minister told an anecdote about a couple she knew who had relocated from the Copenhagen area to Aalborg and were looking for an ‘ethnically diverse’ kindergarten for their daughter Sofia – however, after finding a suitable place they declined after being told that Sofia wouldn’t be allowed to have pork in her lunch box.

The story was repeated on Facebook but challenged by a member of Aalborg City Council, who said there are no food restrictions on child care institutions governed by the local authority and accused the Minister of making the story up.

Staff: Never banned pork

Ms Støjberg declined to respond yesterday but acknowledged in a statement that as she couldn’t fully substantiate the story she shouldn’t have told it. She wrote:

“It was a story I was told at a private party by people who I trust. I can now name the kindergarten as ‘Pilehaven’ but I have no proof that the staff told them not to put pork in the child’s lunch box. I shouldn’t have repeated the story without double-checking the facts with Aalborg City Council.”

Berlingske contacted the Pilehaven kindergarten Monday where staff strongly rejected that they have ever banned pork.

Anecdotes

The Liberals have previously been criticised for employing unsubstantiated anecdotes to support party policy. During last year’s election campaign, then opposition leader Lars Løkke Rasmussen cited a welfare recipient who had refused a job at manufacturing company Panorama, but the allegation was never proved

Read the article on the Danish news site B.dk here and mx.dk here

universitypost@adm.ku.dk

Do you have a good story? We would like to hear from you. In the meantime, like us on Facebook for features, guides and tips on upcoming events and follow us on Twitter for links to other Copenhagen academia news stories.