A teacher from the Batley Grammar School in the United Kingdom landed in hot soup after he shared pictures of the infamous Charlie Hebdo cartoons to students in his class. The school had to be shut down as protests erupted from all corners.
The school reportedly has more than 50 Muslim students and the word of the cartoons being shown in the classroom quickly spread like wildfire and the students demanded the sacking of the teacher.
Apart from the student, parents and other Muslims nearby spilled onto the streets of the school with placards and chants demanding the firing of the teacher.
The teacher, who is in his late-20s, is currently under police protection along with his partner. Reports state that he would be under protection for a week as his life is in danger and has received death threats from many.
However, reports state that the school has suspended the teacher from his job until further notice and will cooperate with the authorities during the investigation.
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson has strongly condemned the death threats against the teacher calling the protests ''completely unacceptable'' after dozens of Muslim students and their parents chanted ''shame on you.''
As the word of the unrest spread, a larger crowd of Muslims gathered outside the school, with some likely coming from nearby mosques, and the police had a hard time containing the crowd.
The unnamed teacher, who was suspended, spoke highly about the teaching profession previously in all his classes. To dispel the crowd, the headteacher had to send an email of apology to all parents informing them the teacher has been removed from his post.
However, a man named Mohammed Hussain, who is the leader of the Muslim group 'Purpose of Life', spoke to reporters outside the school saying he has revealed the name of the teacher on his Facebook page and has condemned his actions. ''His resignation should be forthcoming immediately. He has insulted 2 billion Muslims on the planet. We cannot stand for that. We have to make our voices heard on it,'' he told the DailyMail.
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson Hits Out At Protesters
Williamson stood by the teacher, lashing out at protesters saying they have no rights to intimidate or harass the teaching staff and also included that their protests have violated the Covid-19 restrictions put in place by the government.
''It is never acceptable to threaten or intimidate teachers. We encourage dialogue between parents and schools when issues emerge. However, the nature of protest we have seen, including issuing threats and in violation of coronavirus restrictions are completely unacceptable and must be brought to an end.''
Williamson stressed on the fact that schools need to be free and must include dialogues, ideas and tolerance to balance both political and religious beliefs.
''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,'' he said.
