The Norwegian Vegan Society was refused official registration as a religious organisation. They have now hired the law firm BAHR and are taking legal action against the state.

After three years of trying, the Norwegian Vegan Society (NVS) was finally rejected: the Ministry of Children and Family Affairs, as the highest appellate body, refused to register them as an official religious community.

This has come as a blow to vegans, who are now suing the state, writes the Norwegian newspaper Vart Land. „We believe that it is untenable for the state to decide which beliefs are legitimate and which are not,” they say in a press release.

The Norwegian Vegan Society has filed a complaint and the case will be heard by the Oslo District Court, according to the release.

„Our veganism provides a coherent vision of man’s place in life and answers to the most important ethical questions. It deserves to be recognised in the same way as other faiths, such as humanism and atheism,”

the NVS press release reads.

NVS wants to be publicly registered as a religious community. Such a status would allow them, among other benefits, to apply for government grants for their nearly 1000 members.

The vegan community also offers vegan name giving ceremonies, confirmations, weddings and funerals,

they point out.