Teacher suspended over use of Charlie Hebdo cartoons

[Vergennes]

A local community leader speaks to the crowd of parents outside a Batley Grammar School, West Yorks, after a teacher allegedly showed derogatory caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad. Photograph: Lee McLean/SWNS

The headteacher of a school in West Yorkshire has apologised to parents after a teacher displayed satirical cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad. The teacher has been suspended pending a formal investigation.

Gary Kibble, the head of Batley grammar school, apologised to parents for the inappropriate use of the cartoons, taken from the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, during a religious studies lesson this week which sparked a protest outside the school on Thursday morning.

“Upon investigation, it was clear that the resource used in the lesson was completely inappropriate and had the capacity to cause great offence to members of our school community for which we would like to offer a sincere and full apology,” Kibble said in an email sent to parents that promised further investigation.

Images on social media showed about 30 to 40 protesters, many wearing masks, outside the school, with police at the entrances to the school grounds and the road outside. The Huddersfield Examiner reported from the school that the protests were peaceful as children arrived, with the start of the school day delayed until 10am. West Yorkshire police said that no fines or arrests were made.

However, the Department for Education spokesperson condemned the protests which it said included issuing threats and was “in violation of coronavirus restrictions”. A spokesperson described the protest as “completely unacceptable”.

The DfE spokesperson added: “Schools are free to include a full range of issues, ideas and materials in their curriculum, including where they are challenging or controversial, subject to their obligations to ensure political balance. They must balance this with the need to promote respect and tolerance between people of different faiths and beliefs, including in deciding which materials to use in the classroom.”

Kibble told parents: “The school is investigating the matter using formal processes and we are grateful for the support of the local authority.”

The academy school, an all-through comprehensive – despite its name – has more than 900 pupils. As an academy it is outside direct local authority control but Carole Pattison, Kirklees council’s cabinet member for learning and communities, praised the school’s “swift action”. She said: “They have apologised, taken immediate action on teaching materials and they are reviewing the relevant processes.”

Kibble said the school has removed the images and course content, and will undertake a review of its religious studies course to ensure no other inappropriate resources were used.

The protests were organised on social media amid calls for the teacher’s suspension or resignation after showing the cartoons to pupils. In 2015 the Charlie Hebdo offices in Paris were attacked by two men who claimed affiliation to al-Qaida and murdered 12 people, including staff cartoonists and two policemen. The newspaper’s offices had been previously firebombed after its depictions of Muhammad.

Footage on social media showed police reading out the head’s apology statement to the protesters that remained. The school later confirmed that the member of staff had been suspended.

In an updated statement, it said: “The school unequivocally apologises for using a totally inappropriate resource in a recent religious studies lesson. The member of staff has also given their most sincere apologies.

“We have immediately withdrawn teaching on this part of the course and we are reviewing how we go forward with the support of all the communities represented in our school.”

Mufti Mohammed Amin Pandor, one of the community leaders who met the school’s leadership, told protesters that the school understood that what happened was “totally unacceptable”.

“We’ve asked for an investigation, an independent investigation, and we have asked also for some of us to get on the investigation’s panel,” Pandor told the remaining protesters. “That is what we’ve asked for, whether they do it or not, we can’t force them.

“We’re going to work with the school to ensure that in the future things like this don’t happen.”

Qari Asim, chair of the Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board and imam of the Makkah mosque in Leeds, said: “People have a right to express their concerns and hurt but protests can’t always achieve what can be achieved through constructive dialogue. Fair investigation by the school, in consultation with the parents, should be allowed to take place. We do not want to fan the flames of Islamophobia and provoke hatred or division.”

Teacher suspended over use of Charlie Hebdo cartoons

West Yorkshire school apologises after staff member showed images from French paper depicting Muhammad

www.theguardian.com

@Nilgiri @Costin84 @Kaptaan

 

[Vergennes]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1375346001364533250

 

[Vergennes]

Despite the teacher being suspended and the school apologizing,more protestors gathered at the gates of the school. The school was forced to shut and put under police protection.

 

[Ryder]

They protested which is their right also the right conduct unlike what that piece of shit did in France by murdering Samuel Paty.

A lot of Muslims have shitty optics then it backfires then we complain about it as the Mainstream Media picks it up.

 

[Ryder]

Despite the teacher being suspended and the school apologizing,more protestors gathered at the gates of the school. The school was forced to shut and put under police protection.

It seems some protestors are asking for a fight.

Most likely anjem choudarys crowd. Every time its them every damn time when the Police kick their ass they cry of police brutality.

I watched a video anjem choudary getting kicked out of a Pakistani neighbourhood in London

Wherever this man goes nobody wants him.

 

[Kaptaan]

Frankly, if I could I would give 99 lashings to each parent. I would not condone what the teacher did. I suspect it was a mistake, most teachers in UK and particularly those who teach in ethnic minority areas are as left as can be and I doubt they would do this on purpose unless they had death wish.

As @Nein2.0 said this is just terrible optics. We have covid running rampant and the last thing we need is this rubbish. It just feeds into the far right narrative and achieves nothing.

On another note I know this area. Batley/Dewsbury are hellholes and dystopian relics of Victorian mill towns. Today they are ethnic ghettos festering with most sickening mutations of what could barely pass as Islam. The indigenous communities living right next to them are no better. They are the detritus that has been left behind after century of upward mobility. Anything that can float has floated leaving what they call 'muck' in Yorkshire behind. Drugs, delinquent crime, incest, prostitution, under age sex are rampant.

I know the area because I had business dealings with bed manufacturing companies which often are based in old Victorian mills and use cheap, illegal migrant labour. Another racket in the area is having cannabis farms and you can actually the crap as you drive past.

The area would be improved by a Russian 'Tsar bomba' but I don't think even Putin would waste his effort on this.


Ps. The largest ethnic minority in this area is Indian Muslims, followed by Bangladeshis. One of the 5/5 bombers was from this hellhole.

@Vergennes

 

[Ryder]

Frankly, if I could I would give 99 lashings to each parent. I would not condone what the teacher did. I suspect it was a mistake, most teachers in UK and particularly those who teach in ethnic minority areas are as left as can be and I doubt they would do this on purpose unless they had death wish.

As @Nein2.0 said this is just terrible optics. We have covid running rampant and the last thing we need is this rubbish. It just feeds into the far right narrative and achieves nothing.

On another note I know this area. Batley/Dewsbury are hellholes and dystopian relics of Victorian mill towns. Today they are ethnic ghettos festering with most sickening mutations of what could barely pass as Islam. The indigenous communities living right next to them are no better. They are the detritus that has been left behind after century of upward mobility. Anything that can float has floated leaving what they call 'muck' in Yorkshire behind. Drugs, delinquent crime, incest, prostitution, under age sex are rampant.

I know the area because I had business dealings with bed manufacturing companies which often are based in old Victorian mills and use cheap, illegal migrant labour. Another racket in the area is having cannabis farms and you can actually the crap as you drive past.

The area would be improved by a Russian 'Tsar bomba' but I don't think even Putin would waste his effort on this.


Ps. The largest ethnic minority in this area is Indian Muslims, followed by Bangladeshis. One of the 5/5 bombers was from this hellhole.

@Vergennes

Honestly it should be taken the right way. Shitty optics has costed us so bad.

I give you an example in Australia. Remember 2012 with whole innocence of Muslims. Muslims were pissed off and angry what happened was Muslims did a protest guess what it started out peacefully guess what happened it got infiltrated by extremists and salafists guess what they were chanting they were chanting praises for osama bin laden then hang signs by saying behead anybody that mock the Prophet then they scuffed and had a fight with the police. Police rightfully kicked their asses I mean they even cried about police brutality

Guess what happened the mainstream media picked it up as usual and the footage went widespread all over the world.

Shitty optics at its best. Im gonna be honest the cops were too soft they should have really beaten their skulls. Unfortunately a simple protest turned into some terrorist rally. What filth would go and praise osama bin laden in the public??

 

[mulj]

agree with your points and it is broader social issue but as long the protest were within their citizen rights i would not judge them, regarding far right reaction that is surplus, they will condemn you anyways and do their bussiness as usual.

 

[Costin84]

agree with your points and it is broader social issue but as long the protest were within their citizen rights i would not judge them, regarding far right reaction that is surplus, they will condemn you anyways and do their bussiness as usual.

The teacher has gone into hiding after receiving death threats allready and you're ranting about the far right.
Those "protestors " are no better than actual terrorists, they should be investigated like the ones who abused that poor teacher in France.

 

[Ryder]

The teacher has gone into hiding after receiving death threats allready and you're ranting about the far right.
Those "protestors " are no better than actual terrorists, they should be investigated like the ones who abused that poor teacher in France.

How serious is the death threats are they from the protestors or is it from anjem choudarys group??

 

[Costin84]

How serious is the death threats are they from the protestors or is it from anjem choudarys group??

He's under police protection and hopefully they'll conduct an investigation.

 

[Ryder]

He's under police protection and hopefully they'll conduct an investigation.

Hopefully nothing bad happens. I dont want somebody getting killed just for this bs.

 

[Kaptaan]

How serious is the death threats are they from the protestors or is it from anjem choudarys group??

That does not matter. It is the implied or probable threat. Because of the high profile given to threats from these types just a glance in that direction will lead to the system going into over drive.

So for instance in this case the teacher will use this "threat" to knock off from work for whole year while recieving full pay. Then the said teacher will claim psychological damage and throw in claim for compensation.

If the same "threat" had been faced from crazed parent it would not have recieved such media attention and the police would have acted accordingly.

 

[Ryder]

That does not matter. It is the implied or probable threat. Because of the high profile given to threats from these types just a glance in that direction will lead to the system going into over drive.

So for instance in this case the teacher will use this "threat" to knock off from work for whole year while recieving full pay. Then the said teacher will claim psychological damage and throw in claim for compensation.

If the same "threat" had been faced from crazed parent it would not have recieved such media attention and the police would have acted accordingly.

Makes sense.

Thanks

 

[Sinan]

For what educational purpose does a teacher shows this to students?

 

[rainmaker]

For what educational purpose does a teacher shows this to students?

That's what I thought at first - there's no need to show racist cartoons to students in order to teach about freedom of speech.

But it could have been a mistake, since the teacher apologized. It should never have been blown up.

 

[Nilgiri]

If we are to say the area's largest ethnic minority is "Indian and Bangladeshi" muslim, the non-anecdotal evidence does not really show it (one can even map where this school is on the map in 1st doc):

https://hummedia.manchester.ac.uk/institutes/code/briefings/localdynamicsofdiversity/geographies-of-diversity-in-kirklees.pdf

Batley West Demographics (Kirklees, England)

Batley West Local Stats - Get local statistics and demographic information for Batley West in Kirklees, Yorkshire and The Humber, England - localstats.co.uk

batley-west.localstats.co.uk

The Bangladeshis don't seem to be much in the picture for starters, and batley west seem to be about 50/50 w.r.t Indian muslims and Pakistani muslims.

We can of course wait for 2021 census results too.

It is indeed true that of the British Indians (by geographic origin) in the area (kirklees), about 80% seem to be muslim.

 

[Nilgiri]

Despite the teacher being suspended and the school apologizing,more protestors gathered at the gates of the school. The school was forced to shut and put under police protection.

I have little to add to what kaptaan has said in that the nature of these protests was thoroughly abominable....they have predictably not allowed the law + govt its fair time to resolve the matter peaceably and appropriately.

Just more fuel added to fire.

 

[Fuzuli NL]

If you want to stir shit, you've gotta deal with the smell!

 

[mulj]

The teacher has gone into hiding after receiving death threats allready and you're ranting about the far right.
Those "protestors " are no better than actual terrorists, they should be investigated like the ones who abused that poor teacher in France.

From your keyboard whatever goes out i take with pinch of salt and you confirm it with each reply to me, your fasist proposal is quite self explaining.