Scrap Catholic schools to curb sectarianism – ex-police chief
‘Dig out roots of sectarianism’
CATHOLIC schools should be abolished to stem the rising tide of sectarianism in Scotland, a former senior police officer has said.
Tom Wood, who was deputy chief constable of Lothian and Borders, said the country must tackle the ‘anomaly of religious segregation’ in schools if it wants to root out sectarianism.
But he said Orange walks and republican parades should be allowed and claimed councillors are wrong to ban them.
His comments come after church leaders welcomed a Glasgow City Council decision to ban loyalist and republican marches in Glasgow last weekend following sectarian violence that erupted on the streets.
The Church of Scotland praised the local authority’s move, insisting the council had a duty to protect the safety of its residents as well as visitors.
However, Mr Wood criticised the decision, claiming it would make illegal marches harder to police.
Writing in The Scotsman, Mr Wood said: ‘In the short term, much has been made of the need for new laws to deal with sectarian marches and we may well need to strengthen the regulation of these events.
‘But one thing is clear, while sectarian parades should be limited, it’s plain stupid to ban marches, it breeds grievance and encourages illegal assemblies that are more difficult to police. It’s always best to know who, where and when.’
He went on to question whether or not the provision of faith schools is ‘acceptable’, stating that the country must tackle ‘religious segregation’ in schools if it wants to ‘dig out the roots of sectarianism’.
He added: ‘I have no doubt the provision for separate Roman Catholic education as enshrined by The Education (Scotland) Act 1918, was a good idea 100 years ago, but is it acceptable in the 21st century that we emphasise differences by separating five-year-old children based on their parents’ religion?
‘Passing stronger laws to deal with disorderly marches is easy but if we really want to dig out the roots of sectarianism, we must do what’s difficult, and have the courage to tackle the historical anomaly of religious segregation in our schools.’
A spokesman for the Catholic Church said: ‘The right of parents to educate their children in accordance with their religious beliefs is a universal human right.
‘Suggestions Catholic schools somehow contribute to sectarianism are unfounded, deeply unhelpful and offensive. There is not a shred of empirical evidence to back up such claims.’
Glasgow City Council has since defended its position in relation to the marches.
A spokesman said: ‘The council is confident in the assessment made by Police Scotland officers with experience of policing these events in Glasgow.’
Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: ‘Catholic schools have been a valued part of the Scottish education system for more than 100 years.
‘We support the continuing positive contribution that denominational education has made in ensuring we have successful learners and responsible citizens.’