Cannibal turns vegetarian after joining Green group

THE world's most infamous cannibal has become a vegetarian.

By The Newsroom Wednesday, 21st November 2007, 1:00 am

Armin Meiwes - he killed, filleted, froze and ate a man he met in an internet chatroom in Germany - is also the recently elected leader of an environmentalist group in the prison where he is serving life for his crime.

Meiwes, 45, who said in a book about him that human flesh tasted of pork, was voted to lead the Green Party section in the maximum-security jail in Kassel where he is serving his sentence, three months ago.

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The group of Green supporters is made up of murderers, paedophiles and drug-dealers and now has a convicted cannibal as its leader.

Meeting every Tuesday, they discuss tax, legal and environmental policies.

Gerhard Kaehler, a Green Party representative working with the convicts said: "Armin is no fool. He can write and speak well. The group respects him; that is why he was voted as leader."

Bavaria Radio reported that another inmate said Meiwes has now sworn off meat in his new role as an environmentalist.

"He finds the idea of factory farming as distasteful as his crime was," said the convict. "He now sticks to vegetarian dishes."

But although Meiwes claims to be a reformed character - he said in the book Conversations with a Cannibal that he advises people not to copy him - the official Green Party in Germany wants nothing to do with him.

Kai Klose, a Green Party official said: "Mr Meiwes never was and is not a member of the party", and added that he has no voting rights or financial obligations to the party.

Mr Kaehler claims that results of the Tuesday discussions sometimes find their way into party work and that this has resulted in questions being raised in the regional parliament.

He added: "To me, he [Meiwes] is a normal convict who has committed an incomprehensible crime."