The French Connection by Les May

CONNOISSEURS of the absurd were no doubt amused by the NV articles of 5 and 6 April which told how the Kirklees branch of the National Education Union (NEU) gave £3,000 to the charity which through its Chief Executive had named the teacher accused of ‘blasphemy’, a crime that does not exist under English law, and so potentially put his life in danger from fanatics acting in the name of Islam.

Any condemnation by the NEU of either the actions of the man who did this and his demand that the teacher be removed from the school or of the attempt to reinstate the ‘crime’ of blasphemy by stealth, has been made pianissimo to say the least

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But anyone with access to back copies of Educate the NEU print journal will remember how in the November/December 2020 copy on page 20 there was an article with the heading ‘Brutal Killing of French teacher’. It went as follows:

‘The NEU condemned the killing outside his school of French teacher Samuel Paty on 16 October. In a statement the union said: “Teachers must have the right to carry out their daily work in safety. No one should face threats for violence in the course of their working lives. Members of the NEU in the UK are deeply shocked by this brutal killing. Teaching about our human rights and inspiring students to play a positive role in society is part of the vital work teaches across the world carry out diligently every day.” The joint general secretaries sent letters of condolence and solidarity to the NEU’s sister union in France, the SNES-FSU, and to the French Education Minister.’

Humbug! Humbug! Humbug!

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