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Telegraph
07-08-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
You can be anything in Britain but a white Christian male
Simon Pearson, the English for Speakers of Other Languages (Esol) teacher accused of Islamophobia who was sacked for saying that Lucy Connolly was a victim of two-tier justice, has said that believes he would still be in a job if he had been accused of offending Christians and not Muslims. Pearson's thirty-year career as a teacher was left in tatters when a disciplinary process – triggered by a complaint from a Muslim representative of the National Education Union (NEU) – found he had risked bringing his employer, Preston College, into disrepute. It is clear to me that Pearson's social media posts were not directly anti-Muslim in nature, meaning that any accusation of Islamophobia was highly questionable. But Pearson has raised a rather interesting point which taps into the notion of us being a two-tier society – has the secularised liberal mainstream grown more relaxed over offending, if not punishing, practising Christians in modern Britain? As a social conservative of Bangladeshi Muslim origin, there is no doubt in my mind that Britain is a land of considerable religious freedoms – for its minorities of faith. We have seen multiple religious-minority political leaders – from former UK prime minister Rishi Sunak to former Scottish first minister Humza Yousaf – confidently express their commitment to Hinduism and Islam respectively. This includes Sunak lighting candles outside No 10 for Diwali and Yousaf organising an Islamic call to prayer in Bute House during Ramadan. More generally, British Muslims – the fastest-growing faith grouping of notability in the UK – are afforded considerable forms of accommodation. A report published last year found that more than four in five British Muslim respondents (83 per cent) believed that when compared to other European countries such as France, Germany, and the Netherlands, the UK is a better place for Muslims to be able to practise their faith whilst being involved in wider public life. I am not so sure that the figure would be quite so high if practising Christians had been surveyed. There is a litany of examples of Christian public figures being hounded for their views. This includes former Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron, who resigned from the position after saying that living as a Christian while fulfilling his political role 'felt impossible', believing that devout Christians are seen as 'dangerous' and 'offensive' in modern Britain. Kate Forbes, who ran in the SNP leadership contest alongside eventual victor Humza Yousaf, was pilloried by some quarters over her authentically Christian positions on gay marriage, abortion, and having children out of wedlock – stances that most Muslims would share and be able to express without facing a major backlash. Outside of politics, we have recently seen an army veteran – Adam Smith-Connor – be handed a conviction after praying silently outside an abortion clinic for his own unborn son. If modern Britain was truly confident in its own religious diversity, practising Christians in public office would be treated with the same level of respect and decency as their counterparts belonging to religious minorities. The evidence suggests that we are not in this place. In fact, in the secular multicultural age, Christians are more likely to be treated as 'fair game' for being attacked for their religious beliefs, while minorities of faith tend to be given far more leeway – especially increasingly confident and assertive ethnic-minority Muslims. The reality is that white-British, middle-aged, Christian men such as Farron, Pearson, and Smith-Connor, do not rank highly on the intersectionality scoreboard, while Forbes was caricatured as a traitor to the 'feminist' cause. A genuinely successful multi-faith democracy is one where religious freedom is enjoyed equally across the faiths. The experiences of practising Christians suggest that we are not in such a place.
Telegraph
03-08-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Teacher sacked after criticising ‘two-tier justice' in Lucy Connolly case
A teacher was sacked after saying Lucy Connolly 's prison sentence was an example of 'two-tier policing'. In a post on social media, Simon Pearson, 56, who teaches at Preston College said Connolly's online comments were 'obviously wrong' but she ' should not have been jailed '. But he was dismissed after an internal investigation, prompted by a complaint from a Muslim representative of the National Education Union (NEU) at the school, found his online posts had the potential to bring the college into disrepute. Mr Pearson told The Telegraph: 'I am appalled by the way I've been treated. I've dedicated my life to education and to supporting students from all walks of life. 'Yet as soon as I was branded 'Islamophobic' for expressing concern about violent crime, I became a marked man. It was clear that I had to be found guilty by the college, it became a witch hunt, and I had to be eliminated no matter what.' Mr Pearson is an ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) teacher at the further education college in Fulwood. Connolly was jailed in October last year after posting an online message on the day of the Southport murders, that read: 'Mass deportation now, set fire to all the f---ing hotels full of the b------s for all I care, while you're at it take the treacherous government politicians with them.' The 42-year-old, who had lost a child of her own, deleted the post fewer than four hours later, but not before it had been viewed 310,000 times. Critics claimed her 15-month jail sentence was 'a clear example of two-tier justice '. Lord Young of Acton, founder of the Free Speech Union, said: 'The most striking aspect of this case is that the teacher was sacked at the behest of the NEU. 'Once upon a time, trade unions used to stick up for workers threatened with the sack for speaking out of turn. Now, they side with management and actively try to get workers sacked, including their dues-paying members.' In a post on Facebook, Mr Pearson described Connolly's comments as 'appalling' and 'obviously wrong'. He wrote: In another Facebook post, he discussed the Manchester Airport court case, writing: After Mr Pearson made the posts on social media, a Muslim representative of the National Education Union at Preston College submitted a formal complaint to the college, alleging that the Facebook posts were 'Islamophobic' and 'racially discriminatory'. Preston College bosses then launched an investigation. Mr Pearson apologised if he had offended anyone, and says he provided extensive evidence of his support for Muslim students and asylum seekers during this process. But the investigation concluded that the posts violated Preston College policies, damaged professional relationships, and had the potential to bring the college into disrepute. Mr Pearson has now started legal action, which has been filed at an employment tribunal, with claims of wrongful dismissal, unfair dismissal, harassment, and discrimination under the Equality Act 2010. He argues the posts were expressions of protected philosophical and Christian beliefs, including support for the rule of law, freedom of expression, and equal justice. Mr Pearson told The Telegraph: 'I cannot allow what has happened to me to go unchallenged. It is a grave injustice that should concern everybody who cares about freedom. 'I am determined to fight for justice and for the freedom to raise legitimate concerns in public and private as part of national debates on extremely serious issues that impact us all.' 'We need to cut their throats' Ricky Jones, 57, the Labour figure referred to in Mr Pearson's post, is actually a councillor. He was charged with encouraging violent disorder after he made a speech last year about 'disgusting Nazi fascists' and said 'we need to cut their throats and get rid of them'. Appearing at Snaresbrook Crown Court last September, Mr Jones pleaded not guilty to encouraging violent disorder. Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 20, was convicted of assaulting PC Lydia Ward, causing actual bodily harm, and the assault of emergency worker PC Ellie Cook at Manchester Airport on July 23 last year after a three-week trial at Liverpool Crown Court. Mr Pearson's dismissal comes after Christian school administrator Kristie Higgs was sacked from her role at Farmor's School in Fairford, Gloucestershire, in 2019 for sharing Facebook posts criticising teaching about LGBT+ relationships in schools. In February, she won a Court of Appeal battle related to her dismissal, with three senior judges finding that the decision to sack her for gross misconduct was 'unlawfully discriminatory' and 'unquestionably a disproportionate response'. The Christian Legal Centre, which is supporting Mr Pearson, says the case raises critical questions about the balance between workplace conduct, personal beliefs, and the right to speak freely on matters of public concern. A spokesman for the Christian Legal Centre, said: 'This case highlights the dangerous consequences of the vague and weaponised use of the term 'Islamophobia'. 'In a free and democratic society, we must be able to discuss public events and express concern about violence and injustice without fear of losing our livelihoods. 'The definition of Islamophobia is being used to silence legitimate speech and punish those who dare to speak out. We stand firmly behind this teacher and his right to freedom of expression.'
