Meat-eaters’ ‘wurst’ festival

KASSEL: The organisers of a vegetarian street festival in Germany have been ordered to serve meat sausages by city councillors.

Environmental group UmweltHaus organised the event to mark Earth Day on April 23, but caused a stir when it announced it would only serve meat-free food.

The decision prompted a heated debate at the Kassel city council.

A cured local sausage known as the Ahle Wurst, is “simply an essential part” of a street festival, Dominique Kalb, of the conservative CDU party, told the BBC.

The event’s organisers cannot be made to serve the sausages, according the Hesseschau.de news portal. Instead, it is an appeal for them to change their minds.

UmweltHaus’ Kassel chairman Hubert Grunder admitted he “had not expected” a backlash, but the group confirmed the event would be meat-free.