Almost 100,000 C19 fines given out
A PROTESTER has warned they will stand outside of a Batley school every day until a teacher is sacked for allegedly showing pupils derogatory caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad.
Protesters have arrived outside Batley Grammar School for a second day after the teacher showed the “completely inappropriate” cartoon in a
Religious Studies lesson.
The teacher in question has been suspended and is believed to be under police protection due to the backlash from angry parents.
But protesters are calling for the teacher to be sacked and say they will protest every day until that happens.
In an email sent to parents, headteacher Gary Kibble apologised for the “inappropriate” resource used in the lesson.
Around 35 protesters gathered outside the school gates on Friday morning to protest once again. The school is understood to be shut and some pupils who arrived this morning have been turned away.
One man, who only wanted to be named as Muhammad, said: “It’s a very sensitive topic – it’s about our prophet. Somebody has disrespected our prophet.
“We don’t disrespect anybody else’s religious beliefs. We just want to create awareness that this is wrong. Don’t do it – it’s as simple as that.
“It’s a very peaceful protest today and we’ll keep it like that.
“We want the individual involved to be suspended on a permanent basis not a temporary basis. We’d be very disappointed (if the teacher isn’t sacked).”
He then added that they will come to the school gates every day until the teacher is sacked.
In a statement, Batley Grammar School headteacher Gary Kibble said:
“The school unequivocally apologises for using a totally inappropriate resource in a recent religious studies lesson.
“The member of staff has also given their most sincere apologies.
“We have immediately withdrawn teaching on this part of the course and we are reviewing how we go forward with the support of all the communities represented in our school.
“It is important for children to learn about faiths and beliefs, but this must be done in a sensitive way.
“The member of staff has been suspended pending an independent formal investigation.”
ALMOST 100,000 fines have been handed out for breaches of coronavirus regulations since they first came into force last year, new figures show.
Provisional data published by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) on Friday shows a total of 94,368 fixed penalty notices (FPNs) were issued by police forces, including 85,975 in England and 8,393 in Wales, between March 27 last year and March 14, 2021.
Some 25,416 of those, or more than a quarter, were issued in the latest four-week period – down from more than 26,000 the previous month.
The figures show a total of 284 £10,000 fines have been handed to organisers of mass gatherings of more than 30 people, including illegal raves, parties and protests, in England, with three in Wales.
And 1,647 £800 tickets have been issued to people attending gatherings of more than 15 people.
NPCC chairman Martin Hewitt said: “While it is encouraging to see that the number of fines processed in the last month has decreased, a small number of people continue to defy the rules, putting themselves and others at risk of the virus.
“It is particularly frustrating to see the groups of selfish and irresponsible people organising and attending illegal parties and unlicensed music events – they clearly have no regard for the rules and we move quickly to enforcement in these cases.
“Looking ahead as restrictions start to ease, we will be focusing our efforts on these types of large indoor gatherings.”