Outcry as boy’s Hitler poem is sent to schools
Withdraw verse that may feed prejudice, MP tells Education Secretary
A BOY’S poem written from the viewpoint of Adolf Hitler triggered a furious row yesterday after is was sent out to schools.
It was criticised for including phrases such as: ‘I’ll be happy Jews have died.’
Labour MP Louise Ellman called it ‘ disturbing’ and will ask Education Secretary Ruth Kelly for it to be withdrawn.
Lord Janner, chairman of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said if the issue cannot be resolved with the publishers, he will ask Miss Kelly to intervene.
The poem was published by Forward Press in a book called Great Minds. Schools submitted works for the anthology and individuals could also enter.
Copies of the book were sent to those schools whose entries appeared. The poem’s 14- yearold author, Gideon Taylor – who entered without his school’s knowledge – wrote: ‘ Jews are here, Jews are there, Jews are almost everywhere, filling up the darkest places, evil looks upon their faces. Make them take many paces for being one of the worst races, on their way to a gas chamber, where they will sleep in their manger.’ Mrs Ellman said: ‘I’m concerned that that sort of poem circulates in a book for young children where it is not properly understood what the poem is supposed to be about. The way it is presented can feed prejudice and I think that’s very disturbing.
‘ I would like it to be withdrawn, or if it is not withdrawn, then it should be reissued so that it’s made clear what it is about. In its present form, with no explanation, it could foster prejudice.’
Lord Janner said an approach had been made to the publishers to resolve the issue. He added: ‘ A book containing this offensive poem should not be included in any textbook. If our efforts with the publisher fail, then I shall ask our Education Secretary to intervene.’
Forward Press managing director Ian Walton said 452 copies of the book were printed. They went to schools, the British Library and the rest were sold mainly to families of children whose work appeared One complaint had been received.
‘The book is not being distributed to schools across the UK, as many people state,’ Mr Walton added.
‘E-mails tell me that kids aged 11 to 18 wouldn’t understand the subtleties of the poem. I take exception to that, as these “kids” would be well aware that the poet has written from the perspective of Adolf Hitler.
‘ They are probably more intellectuallythan many of the bigots who comment before obtaining the facts. If this poem had caused an outrage, I am sure many of the other parents or schools would have complained.’ Gideon was last night said to be ‘ devastated’ by the reaction to his poem, because he has Jewish friends. He said he wrote it for religious studies homework as Hitler’s perception of life and power.
‘I did not mean to offend anybody and I am not a racist person. I have nothing against anybody from other races or religions. I wrote the poem trying to think my way into the evil mind of someone like Adolf Hitler.
‘With hindsight, I regret the offence it has caused and apologise unreservedly to anyone who has been upset by this.’
Key events
in British history are being squeezed out of lessons by a concentration on dictators such as Hitler, Ofsted’s chief inspector of schools claimed yesterday.
David Bell said the ‘so- called Hitlerisation’ of the history curriculum was damaging and putting teenagers off the subject. He told the Commons education select committee: ‘ Nobody would argue that we shouldn’t look at the impact of European dictators. But the danger is it just becomes content that is done time and time and time again.’