Live from Yorkshire, Mohammed cartoon protest outside Batley Grammar School

From the Huddersfield Examiner

Angry parents are protesting outside a Batley school after a teacher allegedly showed derogatory caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad.

The school has delayed starting the school day until 10am over the “disturbance” and are advising pupils to stay home until then.

A message spread on social media last night urged people to attend and demand the resignation of the Batley Grammar School teacher allegedly involved.

But his letter did not deter protesters from arriving at the school on Thursday, after messages were circulated on social media urging members of the local community to turn up in person.

“It is imperative that all of us turn up to demand the resignation of this teacher as an absolute minimum and fulfil our duty of defending the honour of RasoolAllah,” one message on Facebook said. The message, which purported to name the teacher in question, urged people to come and “defend the honour of our prophet Muhammad”.

In an email sent to parents headteacher Gary Kibble apologised for the “inappropriate” resource used in the lesson.

It reads: “The school would like to thank the parents who contacted us on March 22 highlighting 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 capacity to cause great offence to members of our school community for which we would like to offer a sincere and full apology.”

Knee jerk instant apology again. 

Our reporter Connor Teale said police have moved in to try and disperse crowds – they are now threatening protesters with Covid fines. While I have little sympathy with the cause of the protest this is being used too much lately. As the crowd is chanting “Get the Head” there is more than sufficient cause for arrests etc. Threats to kill by a mob have never been permissible. Although I expect it will be interpreted as “Get the Head (to come and talk to us)”

Mufti and Imam Mohammed Amin Pandor has given a statement at the school gates. In it he claims the teacher at the centre of the row of the cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad cartoons has been suspended – this has not been confirmed by the school but a statement is reported to be due soon.

I can’t get the videos of this demonstration chanting againt the head and teacher to embed here. There is a half dozen, of which this is a screen shop of the chants to “Get the Head”.  As you can see the protestors are all male, no anxious mothers are involved. The school is co-eduational.  

I don’t expect there will be any arrests of covid breaching, death threatening Muslim men. I suspect the teacher will move quietly away from the area with a fatwa on his head and the Head will continue to cower. More later if there are developments

The school have issued a statement confirming that the teacher has been suspended and protesters are dispersing. But not before stealing a number plate from one of the police cars in attendance.