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A protest that took place in front of a school after a teacher showed a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad in a class was “completely unacceptable,” the Department of Education said.
Dozens of people, including parents, had gathered outside Batley High School in West yorkshire Thursday morning to demonstrate.
Video images posted on social media show men in masks huddled around the school gate.
Representations of the Prophet Muhammad are considered deeply offensive in the Muslim faith.
Director Gary Kibble says the image shouldn’t have been used
A parent at school says the cartoon was taken from Charlie Hebdo, the French satirical magazine that was attacked in 2015 by Islamist terrorists who killed 12 people in Paris.
A teacher was suspended and the school was forced to apologize, admitting that the image was “totally inappropriate.”
On Thursday night, a spokesman for the Department of Education said: “It is never acceptable to threaten or intimidate teachers. We encourage dialogue between parents and schools when problems arise.”
“However, the nature of the protest that we have seen, including the issuance of threats and the violation of coronavirus restrictions, is completely unacceptable and must be stopped.”
They added: “Schools are free to include a full range of topics, ideas and materials in their curriculum, even when challenging or controversial, subject to their obligations to ensure political balance.
“They must balance this with the need to promote respect and tolerance among people of different faiths and beliefs, including when deciding what materials to use in the classroom.”
The protest took place in front of the Batley Grammar School. Photo: Ben Lack / YappApp
The cartoon was shown to students in a lesson on March 22, according to a letter to parents seen by Sky News.
Principal Gary Kibble said Thursday: “The school unequivocally apologizes for using a totally inappropriate image in a recent religious studies lesson. It should not have been used.”
“A staff member has also conveyed his sincere apologies. We have immediately withdrawn teaching in this part of the course and are reviewing how we are progressing with the support of all of our communities represented at our school.
“It is important for children to learn about faith and beliefs, but this must be done in a respectful and sensitive way.
“A staff member has been suspended pending a formal independent investigation.”
On Thursday, people gathered in front of the school to demand the resignation of the teacher involved.
A police officer read a statement from Batley Grammar as protesters shouted that they wanted to “fire” the staff member.
The letter to parents stated: “The school would like to thank the parents who contacted us on Monday, March 22, to highlight their concerns with a resource used in an RS lesson that day.
“Upon investigation, it was clear that the resource used in the lesson was completely inappropriate and had the ability to cause great offense to members of our school community, so we would like to offer a sincere and complete apology.”
In a letter addressed to Mr. Kibble and shared online, Mohammad Sajad Hussain, founder of the Batley-based charity Purpose Of Life, said he was “deeply hurt” by the “insulting cartoons of our beloved prophet Muhammad.”
Police officers appear in the schoolyard Thursday.
Yunus Lunat, an executive member of the Muslim Welfare Society of India in Batley, told Sky News that he believes the teacher “went off script” and was trying to “provoke.”
“They talk about freedom of expression, but I question what freedom of expression has to do with a RE lesson,” he said.
“You will never see an image of the Prophet Muhammad in our mosque, in any mosque in the world. It is not acceptable.”
He added: “That gives him a sense of understanding as to why these cartoons are causing annoyance.”
Mr. Lunat said he also fears that the debate could be “hijacked” by people who are not directly related to the school.
West Yorkshire police said he was called to the protest around 7:30 am Thursday.
A police spokesman said the school’s road had been closed for a short time, no arrests were made and no fines were issued.
The National Secular Society called the demonstration an “attempt to impose a taboo of Islamic profanity in a school.”
The society’s executive director, Stephen Evans, said: “Teachers should have a reasonable degree of freedom to explore sensitive topics and allow students to think critically about them.”
“And the weak response from the school will fuel a climate of censorship, sparked by attempts to force society as a whole to adapt to unreasonable and reactionary religious views.”
