How to dodge a diff icult subject

AN UNPLEASANT skirmish was narrowly averted in Limerick recently, by the simple diplomatic method of covering all bases.

The multi-denominational Limerick School Project apologised to an 11-year-old Muslim boy and his mother after a copy of Charlie Hebdo was produced in class, the Limerick Leader reported this week.

Ironically, the students were discussing freedom of speech at the time. When the Muslim boy pointed out that the cover was offensive, the teacher apologised and the magazine was put away.

School policy forbids the deliberate display of religious garments or emblems in a manner that would cause offence to others. The chairman of the board of management, Richard Allen, explained that the school respected all religions and none, and that, while they supported freedom of speech, they recognised that it came with responsibilities. ‘In every walk of life you’ll have issues, but it’s about how you respond to them,’ he said.

The fifth-class students in this case may not have witnessed a plucky defence of the rudimentary principles of free speech, but they certainly learned a lesson in gracefully and high-mindedly avoiding confrontation – and that’s a lesson that will probably be of far more practical use.