UK school to drop blood libel logo after 95 years
A LINCOLNSHIRE school is to drop its 95-year-old logo after it was pointed out that the emblem symbolised an antisemitic blood libel.
The St Hugh’s School insignia, which features a ball flying over a wall, represents the story of ‘Little Saint Hugh’ who, according to 13th century mythology, was murdered by a Jewish family after he lost his ball over their wall and was invited to retrieve it.
According to former staff member Hugh Martineau, Joan Forbes, one of the school’s founders, “was familiar with the myth while [her husband Ronnie] Forbes asserted that this story should remind his boys to maintain control, both of the ball and where they were allowed to play with it”.
The Forbes family established the school, whose former pupils include television journalist David Frost, in 1925.
Blood libels — false allegations that Jews murdered Christian children in order to use their blood as part of religious rituals — were common in medieval Europe.
Headmaster Jeremy Wyld, who took up his post this academic year, told the JC he had discussed the issue with the school’s governors and had their agreement that the logo would be changed to remove the circle while retaining the bricks “to reiterate the significance of the educational
The insignia, which represents the antisemitic myth about ‘Little Saint Hugh’ building blocks”.
This change, he said, would be applied to the website “as soon as possible” and then to the school uniform, signage and printed material, including the prospectus. This would, he added, “apply to future school branded material”.
Mr Wyld said: “I can entirely understand how the circle on the logo could be inflammatory… We base every element of the education that we offer on fundamental British values and we hold dear the principles of mutual respect and inclusivity.”
Brian Sacks, a retired athletics correspondent, tipped off the JC about the logo. He said: “When looking into the ‘Little Saint Hugh’ blood libel I found out about the school and was deeply upset to see its badge. I wrote to the JC and to the headmaster asking him to change it.”
Mr Wyld said that part of the school programme “includes a visit to the National Holocaust Centre and Museum in Nottingham which complements the work done in school in RE, PSHE lessons and tutorials”.
He added that he hoped “our remedial action emphasises the gravity with which I and the St Hugh’s community view this matter. I also wish to stress that there is no place for discrimination of any kind at St Hugh’s and any upset caused is deeply regretted.”
hailed by chair of judges Sian Williams as “a book that needs to be read”, tells the story of how Polish resistance fighter Witold Pilecki assumed a false name to be captured and taken to the death camp, in order to bear witness to what happened.
He survived in the camp for two years, smuggling reports out, before escaping and rejoining the Polish resistance.
After the war, he was executed by the Polish Communists as an enemy of the state.