Batley Grammar School

[Brahumbug]

I am outraged that a howling mob of thugs has been allowed to gather at Batley Grammar School to threaten a teacher and demand his sacking. The headmaster has issued a groveling, spineless apology. The threats have been condemned by such as the National Secular Society. The cause if this nonsense? During a lesson on blasphemy, its self the ultimate victimless crime, the teacher showed cartoons of Muhammad. Free soeech is once agsin under attack by religious groups claiming special privileges for their beliefs, absolutely disgusting.

Sansaplans

Any comment at all on the death threats, calls for teacher ro be sacked and scale of protest?

And anything else you feel should be proscribed in the national curriculum because people are a bit sensitive?

@delilahbucket

I don’t blame the headteacher at all. He is terrified and rightly so - these people would cut off his head if he said the wrong thing and the useful idiots on here would say, ‘How terrible. BUT ...’

The abject failure of the establishment to deal with this is ultimately going to destroy this country. I hope you enjoy life in 2030’s Britain @PrincessNutNuts. I have a feeling that it might look a bit like Syria does now.

@WireFan

Sansaplans

Any comment at all on the death threats, calls for teacher ro be sacked and scale of protest?

And anything else you feel should be proscribed in the national curriculum because people are a bit sensitive?

I said I thought death threats etc obviously unacceptable, evidently you couldn't be arsed to read it? It's not people being a 'bit sensitive', that's ignorant, probably willfully so. The subject is on the NC as it can be explored without an image being shown, the teacher knew the potential implications of doing so and chose to anyway, all his own decisions.

@Sansaplans

'.....the teacher knew the potential implications of doing so and chose to anyway, all his own decisions.'

Likewise those protesting despite Covid rules and making death threats. Throw the book at them I say. They're breaking the law. The teacher may well have been aware of the possible consequences of showing the image but he is allowed to make that choice without fear of death threats in response.

Apologies, I missed your condemnation of the death threats. Reading in a hurry. (Oh, and look how easy that was!)

Open minded though if anyone can rationalise an RE teacher not being aware of the implications, or how showing the image enhanced the lesson and pupils understanding.

Are we really living in a world where showing a picture carries the threat of death? Seriously? Nobody in this country has the right to not be offended. I can spend 10 minutes on twitter and find at least one thing that offends me, doesn't mean I can protest and call for someone's job (or head!).
In the statement "On behalf of the Muslim Community" I posted up thread they state that they want parents to review learning materials in their children's schools including regarding inappropriate relationships and sex education. So this is bigger than just a picture that they class as blasphemous.

@FallenSky it's a picture of one thing, it's known to be offensive, so what's the need? It doesn't enhance anyone's education to show an image. Its like people who try and defend using the N word and the like. Its known to be offensive and cause upset, but because people feel they should be able to because 'free speech' even though it doesn't add anything positive to society. When something doesnt affect us if it isn't done, why bother fighting for our rights to say/show it? Weird.

So schools are going to be censored when parents form any angry mob. Well, that isn't democracy - perhaps lots of groups will now adopt that behaviour, except they won't because if that was other groups say Christians it would be ignored or indeed other groups.

The contrast between this and the Sarah Everard case is disturbing. The police crushed a peaceful vigil for Sarah, yet in Batley they stand aside whilst a group of angry men spew hatred.

Anyone criticising Sarah's decision to walk home alone at night was rightly criticised, yet at Batley the teacher is being told he should have realised sharing an image would result in death threats against him.

[quote Sansaplans]@FallenSky it's a picture of one thing, it's known to be offensive, so what's the need? It doesn't enhance anyone's education to show an image. Its like people who try and defend using the N word and the like. Its known to be offensive and cause upset, but because people feel they should be able to because 'free speech' even though it doesn't add anything positive to society. When something doesnt affect us if it isn't done, why bother fighting for our rights to say/show it? Weird.[/quote]
My argument isn't over the showing of the picture, personally I think it was ill advised and could understand completely Muslim parents contacting the school to complain. The thing that horrifies me is the first thought I had when I read about this was "I really hope that teacher has police protection now" because it is a very real possibility that he could be killed for this. That is not ok in any way. You mention the N word, massively offensive and widely known to be, but doesn't carry the same threat behind it, does it? How many people have been killed for saying it? Do you see where I'm coming from? It's the intimidation and threats that I find outrageous. Grown men protesting outside a school, preventing children from learning because they've been offended. Not ok.

@Imsosorryalan75

I'm half indian and grew up in halifax/bradford. I know the culture well. These types of muslim men/boys have zero respect for anyone else, hate all white people, frequently talk about (and do) raping white women as they're always 'up for it'. The hatred towards anyone not muslim is shocking and they are the most racist of all.

That's interesting. I recall a series on TV a few years ago where two groups of school kids growing up 10 odd Mike's away from each other swapped places at school; one school was overwhelmingly muslim, the other white.

It was fascinating and disturbing the stereotypical ideas both groups held about the other.

In particular, I was struck by how entirely the muslim kids lived in a parallel world to the white kids. And how, when asked what they imagined, the muslim girls fervently believed that all the 15 year old white girls were sleeping around, and how their homes would be filthy and strewn with empty booze bottles.

Equally, there was a Covid breach in a London Orthodox Jewish girls high school, a wedding party or some such. I did some reading around that and discovered some quite shocking things about deliberately under-educating the girls, redacting textbooks, refusing to teach reproduction. All paid for by us.

I read yesterday that in Denmark there are moves to limit the numbers of immigrants who can settle in a given area to try and overcome their ghettoisation, the living of parallel lives.

But I do thing many years of 'fear of causing offence' does lead to communities who are openly racist towards white people, but can't be challenged.

Sansaplans do you think The Life of Brian should be banned given that it offended some Christians?

Apparently the protestors outside the school (I don’t think many are parents) have said they will turn up every day until the teacher is sacked.

Why aren’t the police moving them on?

Why can’t they see how terrible this looks and how they are bringing their community into disrepute? This sort of unreasonable, bullying behaviour is an absolute gift to racists and those who want to divide communities.

The police won't move them on because they daren't. I wish I could share information Re how police deal with sectors of this locality. Verbally advising officers who they can and can't arrest for fear of bigger reprisals.

Mob rule but you won't see any heavy handed police presence.

The area (its local to me) is already very heavily divided and no one dare point this out - hence why extreme right wing parties gain votes because no one dare speak out about obvious issues of concern. This area has a huge issue with drugs and import / export of them, the number of mo ey laundering cash heavy businesses is laughable, for such a poor constituency, the wf13 postcode is notoriously deprived, the number of very very high value cars being driven around is a huge red flag, we've sat in a cafe listening to large scale drug imports and deals being arranged.

We can't afford to move from the area but tell our dc to work as hard as they can to get moved out.

If I was to tell you about the number of times our parish has has had dog excrement among other items posted through it with notes and actions advisi g other sectors of tje community will see it closed to buy the building you'd be horrified.

Its a very volatile divided area, and the Jo Cox tribute while a well intentioned cause isn't any use, the disaffected residents and those with I'll feelings are the one that need engaging with and the fluffy be united message isn't doing enough.

@JoyOrbison

What would happen if people stood up to this? And what action is taken by the police to prevent it?

Retribution is what would happen. The gang mentality starts in high school, huge issues with gangs from Yr7 upwards, it is awful.

@JoyOrbison

And what do the police do to stop it?

Hahaha "and what do the police do to stop it ?" ...avoid the issue to literally keep the peace...every "community leader "would bring plenty of men onto the streets to express their disaproval of any police action ...you can bet the police have had instructions for years to do the bare minimum.
And back to taking offence...if a community ..or some members of it ..took offence to girls being taught certain subjects as against religious beliefs, what degree of protest is acceptable..does 'offence' trump everything ?

@JoyOrbison

When you say ‘retribution’, what do you mean exactly? What sort of retribution that the police turn a blind eye to is routinely practiced here?

Bokatan I agree, it's just awful.
Someone needs to get a grip on this and make sure every single school, every single one has classes on being free, liberty, the freedom to think and be how you want.. Marry who you want, etc etc.

We can't operate a two tier system and private school, faith school must all be forced to adhere to lessons on sexism...

Joy orbison how awful, these areas need to be specially targeted, education, liberation programs.. Stepped up police action special teams who recognise and understand the issues.

Retribution, by which I mean one up manship, and please don't think this is against one sector of society, there are disillusioned groups where failures to produce a cohesive society within the locality can often cause any group, if feeling failed or not heard, to strike 'bigger and harder'. The heavy woolen districts are struggling a lot at the moment, there are many good people from many areas, but there is a lot of tension rising and police can't address or deal with this.

The town centres are failing, there is a dwindling economy, the cheap housing and property means there is a high level of deprivation, consequently large numbers of immigrants are housed in the towns, stress on council and support services, language barriers mean neighbourhood cohesion and community links aren't as easy to maintain. Families tend to buy or keep council houses tenancy in family names so estates become close knit insular communities that can heighten the 'them. and us' mentality.

Drug deals have led to mini turf style wars, high schools have to work with police to send out cars full if staff to prevent pupils heading to preorganised fights involving adults and children, knives and machetes confiscated from police that have to attend in large numbers... It is a town being failed by its leaders by not addressing divisions in society and focusing on good people from all sectors working together when they are becoming few and far between and are a fragile glue holding falling apart towns together.

I wish I could share what dh sees Re 'officials' dealing with issues in towns, I hate being vague and won't drip feed. But there are huge failings. Kirklees is an extremely expensive council but partly so because it is so badly managed.

This has gone on for decades. I really can't see how the juggernaut can be turned around now. If you don't live in that area you simply can't imagine what it is like. Certain groups are exempt from the law. Pp is absolutely right about the money laundering and drugs. You have people who only own a little shop or car wash driving around in very, very expensive cars and living in ostentatious, enormous houses. Everybody knows but nobody dare speak.

Corruption goes right to the top. There has been a recent suicide that should have opened up the can of worms.
Look at Leeds and Holbeck. It is absolutely horrific.