Harun Nasrullah
A district judge has been chastised by kebab industry leaders and members of the Turkish community for implying kebab restaurants are unregulated and unsanitary, reports T-VINE.
The row began following Judge Susan Holdham’s closing remarks about a McDonald’s branch on May 2. The Leytonstone-based restaurant was fined over half a million pounds, including costs after environmental officers from Waltham Forest Council presented evidence of a rodent infestation.
“When customers go to McDonald’s, they expect and have the right to expect the highest standards in food hygiene… This is not some backstreet burger or kebab bar; children go to McDonald’s as a treat,” Judge Holdham said as part of her ruling at Thames Magistrate’s Court.
Waltham Forest Council’s digital media team also came under fire for sharing the comments. The Kebab Alliance branded the remarks “unacceptable and deeply offensive” and called for her to apologise for causing “reputational damage.”
“Such a comparison was unnecessary and caused significant reputational damage to hardworking kebab shop owners and workers. “There needs to be an apology and better training to avoid such statements,” tweeted the Kebab Alliance.
Timur Ekingen, the editor of the kebab sector trade magazine BritShishe, described the judge’s comments and the council’s decision to share them as a “dreadful smear” that implies kebab businesses are exempt from stringent food laws and therefore unhygienic. “This is a dreadful smear against the many hardworking entrepreneurs that bring vibrancy, jobs, and delicious food to communities up and down the UK.”
“It would have been perfectly possible for the judge to criticise that individual McDonald’s branch without denigrating the entire British kebab industry. Worse still, Waltham Forest Council deemed it appropriate to not only repeat but also share these awful comments. I believe kebab business owners are owed an apology from both the judge and local authority over these remarks,” said Ekingen.
Baroness Hussein-Ece tweeted about the judge’s slur, calling it “ironic, given that ‘kebab shops’ are subject to the same hygiene laws as other fast-food outlets”.
