Latest news with #Wilson'sHospitalSchool
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Watch: Family of jailed teacher who refused to use trans pronouns thrown out of Washington gala
Credit: X/@SeanDefoe The family of a teacher who refuses to use a transgender student's preferred pronouns were forcibly removed from a Washington DC gala they gatecrashed to confront Ireland's prime minister. Security led away three members of the Burke family after they burst onto the floor of the Ireland Funds dinner, which was attended by Taoiseach Micheal Martin, to protest the teachers' imprisonment. Enoch Burke was jailed for a third time in Ireland in September for breaching a court order to stay away from Wilson's Hospital School in Co Westmeath where he once taught. The evangelical Christian has spent more than 500 days in jail over three separate stints for contempt, and been fined, after repeatedly breaching the injunction. Footage from Thursday night shows Burke's mother Martina and two of his siblings – Ammi and Isaac – shouting as they are dragged away by security. Mr Martin had finished speaking 15 minutes before the family crashed the gala, an annual event in the US capital ahead of St Patrick's Day. Elon Musk, Donald Trump's close ally, shared his support for Burke on social media. 'My belief is male and female, God made them male and female,' Burke told the court last year. He also claimed teachers were being 'commanded to force transgenderism on students'. Burke, who teaches German and history, was outraged after being told to call a transitioning student by their preferred name and the pronoun 'they'. Despite his suspension, he would turn up at the school for 'meetings' or simply to sit in an empty classroom declaring he was ready to teach, which led to an injunction being sought and granted. Burke is still being paid his salary after he appealed the school's decision to sack him in January 2023. This month Court Justice David Nolan gave the Attorney General permission to bring an application later this month to appoint a receiver over Burke's teaching salary, to deduct the outstanding €79,100 he owes in fines. On March 8, Mr Musk wrote 'wow' as he retweeted a post that falsely claimed Burke was being 'stripped of his salary after refusing to use they/them pronouns for a 'transgender' student'. Mr Martin said it had been 'regrettable' that the Burke family disrupted the gala dinner, but said he did not think it 'significantly' impacted the event. 'I think it was regrettable that incident happened,' he said. 'People have a right to protest in a proper way and that is not a proper way to attempt to maybe disrupt an event that was to honour people who have been of such service to Ireland in the US and people of the Irish-American diaspora who really are not involved in anything to do with this issue.' Mr Martin said he had been 'very clear, in respect to the rights of transgender people'. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
St Patrick's Gala in DC Crashed by Controversial Irish Christian Fundamentalists
A St Patrick's Day gala in Washington was disrupted by members of a well-known fundamentalist Christian family from Ireland on Thursday night, as they attempted to get the attention of Ireland's prime minister, or taoiseach. Footage from journalist Sean Defoe shows Isaac and Ammi Burke disrupting the Ireland Funds Gala alongside their mother, Martina, to protest the imprisonment of their brother, Enoch, in a high-profile legal case. Footage shows the Burkes interrupting a speech by Taoiseach Micheal Martin, who was in town after meeting US President Donald Trump, before being forcibly removed by security. 'Why is Enoch Burke in prison for not accepting transgenderism?' Isaac Burke repeatedly shouts. Enoch Burke has been repeatedly imprisoned for defying court orders which mandated him to stay away from his former workplace, Wilson's Hospital School in County Westmeath. Burke was initially suspended from his teaching position following a confrontation with the school's principal over his refusal to address a transgender student by their preferred pronouns. Credit: Sean Defoe via Storyful That were first planted. Hey. Enoch Burke. Enoch Burke in prison for 513 days. Enoch Burke in prison. Enoch Burke. Not accepting transgenderism. Why is he in prison for transgenderism. Why? for not accepting. Martin has a prison. Now the person. I think You. What I Education imprisoned by Martin. strippers imprison my son for 500 days for not approving transgender ideology. And now he's stripping an upright, an upright sincere, well, intelligent, educated young man, mid-30s. Present under the watch of Martin and his government. My son has been imprisoned for over 500 days for not approving with sexual offenders, murderers. How dare. Martin in there. He is phoning the American people. The Irish people live in fear. They live in fear. Teachers are afraid in schools. Yes they are. Every single child is taught LGBTQ plus bisexual transgenderism as fact. It's a sad thing. It's a sad day for Ireland. We need President Trump to know the truth. Martin is fooling him, deceiving you. He is not telling them the truth, that the Irish people are living in fear. They are. We are afraid to have a Christian belief in Ireland because me or Martin. Says acceptance is key of every perversity. You got the entrance for 513. I'm sorry we're on the on the side. I can be on that side. I need my shoe. We will get it from the entrance to the side. You're not on that side you guys do, please. Thank you so much. Go get your shoe. Thank you. Just don't block the door. Thank you. Not block the door.
Russia Today
10-03-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Irish teacher punished over trans student's pronouns
An Irish schoolteacher who refused to use 'they' instead of 'he' when addressing a biologically male transgender student, citing his Christian beliefs, could now be stripped of his salary, according to The Irish Times. He has already spent more than 500 days in prison. Enoch Burke, formerly a teacher of history and German at Wilson's Hospital School in County Westmeath, has been at the center of a prolonged legal and ethical dispute since 2022. Burke was suspended after he opposed the school principal's request to refer to a 'transitioning' student by a new name and the pronoun 'they.' Following a hearing on Friday, the High Court of Ireland will be asked to appoint a receiver to recover unpaid fines from Burke's salary. If approved, the move would enable authorities to collect €79,100 – an amount he has accrued through daily €700 fines for showing up at Wilson's Hospital School in defiance of court orders to stay away. The teacher, who comes from an evangelical Christian background, had repeatedly failed to heed a court order barring him from entering the grounds of the school. 'I teach everyone who's in front of me. I teach every single student,' Burke told SkyNews last year. 'But when I am commanded, when I'm told that I can't have my religious belief anymore, when I'm told I have to confess belief in transgenderism, instead of my simple belief, which is male and female, that's just a breach simply of my rights.' Although suspended with full pay in May 2022 pending an investigation into alleged misconduct, Enoch Burke continued to show up at the school, leading to his imprisonment for contempt of court in September 2022. To date, he has spent a total of 512 days in jail across three separate periods for defying court orders. Despite being dismissed from the school, Burke continues to receive his salary under administrative leave while his appeal over his termination is still pending. Recently, Justice David Nolan doubled Burke's daily fine to €1,400 after it was revealed that he had entered the school through a student entrance and attempted to join a school assembly. Nolan said by his rough calculations, Burke owes around €190,000 so far as a result of a €700 a day fine imposed on him by the court in January 2023. The teacher has accused the courts of failing to recognize his constitutional right to religious freedom, and said that these rights were breached when he was asked to refer to a student as they/them. According to its website, 'Wilson's Hospital School is, to this day, a place where true love of knowledge makes all study a discovery and joy. Our school maintains a distinctive Church of Ireland ethos, fostering Christian practice and teaching, promoting dignity and respect for the individual and committed to the provision of a caring family atmosphere in which education can flourish.'
