Batley Grammar School

[baggieal]

A staggering number of blokes outside the school at Batley with no facemasks and crammed together.

One rule for them lot and a different one for us.

Why is it all blokes? Don’t females have a voice?

[westcountryvillain]

This teacher did not make a mistake, she merely showed a picture of the Charlie Hebdo cartoon to her pupils when educating them on freedom of speech and unfortunately there are some muslim people who see it as their duty to their prophet to vociferously & sometimes violently defend him. I personally see it as weak, how can a religion with a powerful deity be so fragile that they have to resort to such behaviour over a cartoon, it is pathetic and would be laughable if they weren't so dangerous.

On Talk Radio today the beheading of the teacher in France for doing exactly the same thing was discussed and the question posed to a local organisation who named the Batley teacher online "Is beheading someone for showing a cartoon of your prophet worse than showing a cartoon of your prophet?". It took FOUR attempts for him to stop swerving the question before answering yes, that is what we're up against.

[Calgarybaggy]

Any one should be allowed to peacefully protest anything they feel strongly about - that's called freedom of speech. Anyone should be allowed to say what they want (except in very narrow circumstances like slander of inciting violence) - that's also called freedom of speech. But as soon as one person demands the freedom of speech of another be abrogated to satisfy their point of view, that is contrary to democratic principles and is a very slippery slope towards dictatorship. The simple logic behind that is who decides what is appropriate speech and what is not? The government? the Labour Party? the police? the Catholic Church? the Ayatollah? PETA? the Manchester United supporters club? The Gornal Wood Darby and Joan club? Since you cannot answer that question definitively, then no one should be able to decide, which is why there has to be freedom of speech in a democracy be defintion. While there are clearly situations where free speech can be exercised in very poor taste either generally or in the circumstances, poor taste cannot be legislated and is usually determined in the eye of the beholder rather than being a universally accepted standard. Deliberately or accidentally insulting a religion or a group can very easily be in poor taste but should never, ever be illegal in a democracy no matter how distasteful some people may find it, unless it crosses the line into incitement of violence. So was showing the cartoons in poor taste? I don't think so because I generally do not find pictures of historical people in poor taste. But some people do think it was in poor taste. Was it illegal? No. It should not be illegal. Are demonstrations acceptable? Of course, unless they incite violence. Should the teacher be fired because he did this? It depends on his intention. If it was done deliberately to belittle a religion or provoke a violent response then it was irresponsible and perhaps he should be fired. If it was done in a classroom discussion in a responsible manner with children who were mature enough to debate the merits of the issue, then firing him would be wrong and counter productive to the educational process in my opinion. If he is fired because a small group of people thought it was in bad taste and made a huge fuss until he was fired, then the person firing him shoudl be fired.

[DaveP67 is back!]

Why is it all blokes? Don’t females have a voice?

Not a very big voice in that religion Al.

[rambaggie]

Deport the lot of em. They forget what country they live. I’m past caring who I upset now. They can go forth and multiply!!

[baggieal]

Deport the lot of em. They forget what country they live. I’m past caring who I upset now. They can go forth and multiply!!

I get it! I know some one who knows the teacher - very young kids - name change and in hiding for his own protection! The pathetic head should be ashamed of himself for not sticking behind a well loved teacher albeit he made a mistake. Those at the gates should face water canyons - different when the shoe is on the other foot! Disgusted!

[phild]

Cant see how he could ever return to teaching after this, he would be now scared for his life. He will be forever looking over his shoulder in case some muslim extremist attempts to lop his head off. I daresay a fatwah as already been placed on him

[Albionic68]

I haven't been paying much attention to this but regardless of religion people love a good whinge.

Whether or not offence was intended the teacher was naive. A career potentially ruined by naivety and those with a 'right' to be offended.

I understand why people feel the way they do when roused, but I'll never understand why they feel they can act as they do in consequence.

A totally avoidable situation brought about by a regrettable decision, daft reactions follow daft actions.

And the whole thing's for nothing. There is no god (in my opinion) and when those involved have left this mortal coil they'll all be the same under the stars.

Dead, and just another form of carbon.