Simon Pearson's sacking is a stark warning to censorship Britain
In a post on social media, 56-year-old Simon Pearson, a teacher of English for Speakers of Other Languages (Esol) at Preston College, said Connolly's unquestionably inflammatory comments were 'obviously wrong' but she 'should not have been jailed'. Pearson was subsequently dismissed after an internal investigation – prompted by a complaint from a Muslim representative of the National Education Union (NEU) at the college – concluded that his online posts had the potential to bring it into disrepute.
If truth be told, I have found much of the online Right's lionisation of the imprisoned Lucy Connolly – who has been depicted as some kind of persecuted free-speech heroine – totally bizarre. But surely Pearson, living in a supposedly free and democratic society, has the right to express his opinion that her prison sentence was harsh, when compared to the lenient sentences provided to others for offences considered to be more serious in nature?
In another post on the Manchester Airport incident, over which Mohammed Fahir Amaaz has now been found guilty of assaulting two female police officers, Pearson claimed that 'if these people have no respect for the police and UK laws, they need deporting back to their ancestral home'. There is no evidence that Pearson made these comments on the grounds of Amaaz's specific racial and religious background, and he may well have made them if the two brothers involved in the fracas were white Christian men originating from the Balkans.
Pearson, as an Esol teacher in Preston, is likely to have provided support to Muslim students and asylum seekers whilst serving in this role. This certainly does not strike me as the choice of profession by an anti-Muslim racist bigot. Some may find his opinions disagreeable, perhaps even offensive – but no one has the right to be protected from views which they may find uncomfortable but are causing them no direct harm.
His sacking also serves as a warning – a new 'Islamophobia' definition could be used as an instrument of censorship by tribal activists to threaten the livelihoods of those expressing political views which are not even directly anti-Muslim in nature. Such a development will only further undermine Britain's previous reputation for being the home of free speech.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
15 minutes ago
- BBC News
HMP Swinfen Hall showers and drinking water affected by leak
A water leak at a prison in Staffordshire has affected the supply to showers and cells, according to relatives of have been in touch with the BBC and said their sons at HMP Swinfen Hall, near Lichfield, have been unable to shower for several days.A spokesperson for the Prison Service said there had been access to clean drinking water at all were stopped as a precautionary measure while the issue was addressed, but the water supply to cells was not compromised, they added. "The situation is resolved and the water supply to HMP Swinfen Hall has been reinstated," a spokesperson said on Tuesday. One woman, who said her son was an inmate at the prison, said prisoners had been given a 500ml bottle of water to last through the night and had not able to shower."The whole wing was stinking because people weren't able to have showers," she said."I was disgusted, in this heat as well. They're locked up and they've got no drinking water - they've basically just given them a little supply," she said."It shouldn't be happening. They should be supplying them with basic needs."She added that she had to top up her son's account for use in the canteen to buy extra drinks. Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Reuters
16 minutes ago
- Reuters
Shadow tanker fleet grows more slowly as Western sanctions target Russian oil
LONDON, Aug 13 (Reuters) - Dozens of tankers have joined the shadow fleet this year compared with hundreds in previous years as the harshest Western sanctions yet target Russia's oil exports and add to the difficulty of finding suitable vessels, shipping sources said. The European Union and Britain last month imposed further sanctions on Russia over its war in Ukraine. Together with U.S. restrictions, they mean more than 440, opens new tab shadow fleet tankers face sanctions, including tankers Moscow needs to ship oil to its biggest buyers, China and India. The shadow fleet of vessels is used by Venezuela and Iran, as well as Russia to evade Western sanctions. Typically, the vessels are old, their ownership is opaque, and they sail without top-tier insurance cover to meet international standards for oil majors and many ports. Since the Ukraine war began in 2022, the shadow fleet has been especially used by Russia, which has relied on oil revenues to help finance its war effort. In addition to the sanctions, the Group of Seven countries has imposed a cap over what price level Russian oil can be sold at, adding to trade complexities. The size of the fleet is between 1,200 and 1,600 tankers, according to estimates from industry sources and analysts, including Lloyd's List Intelligence and shipbroker Gibson. This represents an estimated fifth of the overall global tanker fleet. That compares with a few hundred vessels operating before the Ukraine war, but sources say its growth has slowed year-on-year as the list of sanctions has grown and sales of second-hand ships have been under more scrutiny from authorities and legal compliance teams. The estimate of the shadow fleet's size does not include hundreds of smaller coastal tankers, which are not ocean-going but have transported oil, chiefly for Russia. "Regulators are closing the net," Anna Giacomello, analyst with British maritime cyber defence and risk intelligence company Dryad Global, said in a July report. For all the risks, the potential for profit remains a lure for some. "Operators may still enter the shadow fleet because it can be highly lucrative," said Leigh Hansson, sanctions partner at law firm Reed Smith, who advises shipping and trading companies on oil sanctions compliance. But she said the major established players would stay away and that only those with little experience of the shipping market may be willing to engage in risky operations, with older vessels that major ship insurers will not cover.
The Independent
17 minutes ago
- The Independent
3,000 new police officers to be placed in communities
Labour minister Diana Johnston has vowed that every community in England and Wales will now have a named and contactable police officer. Appearing on Good Morning Britain on Wednesday, the policing minister confirmed that 3,000 new police officers have been recruited to assist neighbourhoods. Members of the public can find their local officer by entering their postcode on their force's website or by making a phone enquiry. The government has allocated £200 million to police forces to ensure the effective implementation of this scheme.
