http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/03/16/nbuns16.xmlHot cross banned: councils decree buns could be 'offensive' to non-Christians
By Chris Hastings and Elizabeth Day
Last Updated: 6:18pm GMT 15/03/2003
Schools across Britain have been ordered by local authorities to abandon the
ancient tradition of serving hot cross buns at Easter so as not to offend
children of non-Christian faiths.
Some councils are refusing to hand out the traditional treats because they
fear that the symbol of the cross will spark complaints from Jewish, Hindu
and Muslim pupils or their families.
Officials in the London borough of Tower Hamlets decided to remove the
buns from menus this year after criticism over its decision to serve pancakes
on Shrove Tuesday. A spokesman for the Labour-run council claimed that there had been "a lot" of complaints but did not have a figure.
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The spokesman added: "We are moving away from a religious theme for
Easter and will not be doing hot cross buns. We can't risk a similar outcry
over Easter like the kind we had on Pancake Day. We will probably be
serving naan breads instead."