Striking teacher faces probe over ‘dead Tories’ placard
A teacher at a school in east London is being investigated after posing with a placard displaying a slogan about dead Tories.
Both the school where the teacher works and the National Education Union (NEU) confirmed they were investigating after a photo of the teacher was published in a national newspaper and the teacher reportedly shared it on her Instagram page.
The text on the placard read: “The only good Tory is a dead Tory. The only good Lib Dem is a dead Lib Dem.” A caption on the post suggested that the sign had been made for her and a colleague.
Jon Ryder, headteacher of George Green’s School on the Isle of Dogs, said one of the teachers at the school was being investigated after she posted the photo, which was later removed. Mr Ryder told The Daily Telegraph that the school “actively promotes a culture of mutual respect and tolerance and does not condone violence or this kind of language”.
The teacher is reportedly a committee member of the NEU in London. A spokesperson for the union said: “The NEU in no way condones the use of violent language or imagery. We have begun a process of investigating this incident. We will not be making further comment on the incident until such time as the investigation has concluded.
“However, we want to reiterate that the NEU is not politically affiliated, that we attend all major political party conferences each year and have supporters of all those parties in membership of the union.”
Wednesday saw the NEU host the first of a planned seven days of strike action, with up to 200,000 of its 300,000 members walking out. More than half of schools in England, including 83 per cent of secondary schools, closed as members took industrial action over their demand for an above-inflation pay rise.
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