Scottish primary teacher reported to police over ‘Zio’ game for children

A Scottish primary school teacher has been reported to police after appearing in a video demonstrating a children’s game in which “Zios” attack Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Sara El-Awaisi, who has worked at Liberton Primary School in Edinburgh, is seen playing the game with another woman in footage reportedly filmed at a Muslim women’s conference in Indonesia in July.

El-Awaisi is also a co-founder of Educators for Peace, a campaign group which has pushed for teachers to take a more active stance on Gaza in Scottish schools.

In the game, each player uses one thumb to represent Al-Aqsa Mosque, while the fingers of their other hand represent “Zios” trying to grab their opponent’s thumb.

When the term is mentioned in the video, El-Awaisi says: “We don’t like them.”

She later asks whether “the boys and girls” could play the game, while the caption accompanying the video encourages parents to teach it to their children.

“Zio”, a shortened form of Zionist, is widely regarded by Jewish organisations as an antisemitic slur when used as a term of abuse.

Police Scotland confirmed it has received a complaint about the footage and said the matter was being assessed.

The Jewish Council of Scotland has called for education authorities to investigate, saying: “Teaching children to regard ‘Zios’ as an enemy normalises an antisemitic slur and encourages prejudice through play.”

The row has also drawn attention to El-Awaisi’s public profile. She was recognised as a “local hero” at the opening of the Scottish Parliament’s new session in June, attended by the King and Queen.

According to The Times, which first reported the story, El-Awaisi’s name has since disappeared from Liberton Primary School’s publicly available staff page. Edinburgh council declined to tell the newspaper whether she had been suspended, citing confidentiality.

Thomas Kerr, a Glasgow MSP and Reform UK’s deputy leader in Scotland, has raised the footage with Scottish Education Secretary Màiri McAllan.

“The use of the term ‘Zios’ in material involving children is deeply concerning,” he said. “Such language portrays Zionists, Israelis and, by extension, Jewish people as a collective enemy. They are not.”

UK Lawyers for Israel has also called for ministers to examine whether material promoted by Educators for Peace has entered Scottish classrooms or teacher training.

It said El-Awaisi had “participated in material portraying ‘Zios’ as a hostile group whom children must resist”, adding: “Children should not be recruited into an ideological campaign.”

A City of Edinburgh Council spokesperson said: “We are aware of this content and are investigating what, if any, action we need to take.”

The Scottish government told The Times it was “unequivocal in its commitment to tackling antisemitism” and said concerns raised about Educators for Peace had been directed through appropriate channels.

Jewish News has contacted Educators for Peace and Liberton Primary School for comment.