‘Staff and students urged to wear keffiyehs’ in ‘flurry of organising’ that halted Jewish MP’s school visit
New details emerge of teaching staff union rep's role in pro-Palestine protest at school visit by Damian Egan MP
A Jewish Labour MP’s planned careers talk at a Bristol school was cancelled after a National Education Union (NEU) teaching staff rep “sparked a flurry of organising” for an anti-Israel protest over the visit, it has emerged.
Damian Egan, the MP for Bristol North East, had been scheduled to speak to pupils at Bristol Brunel Academy last September about UK democracy and the role of Members of Parliament.
Egan is a former student of Cabot Learning Federation, the multi-academy trust of which Bristol Brunel is part.
However, the event was called off by school leaders after staff learned of plans for a protest led by NEU members and pro-Palestine activists opposing Egan’s support for Israel.
New details have now emerged over the involvement of NEU members in the backlash to the Jewish MP’s visit, including calls for teachers to “do with students” and “a plan for people to wear keffiyehs for the day of the visit.”
Asked for the Prime Minister’s response to the MPs ban, a Downing Street spokesperson said:”Clearly questions need to be answered. The law is clear. Schools must be impartial and free expression is a fundamental value in this country.
“We cannot have a society where intolerance is accepted practice and those holding opposing views are barred or banned from certain environments, particularly our schools, which are shaping young minds and teaching them how to behave in the world.”
According to a report by the online news site Bristol Cable from last November the NEU teaching staff representative played a central role in mobilising opposition.
The report stated: “NEU members in the Cabot Learning Federation successfully blocked Labour MP Damien Egan, vice chair of Labour Friends of Israel, from speaking at Bristol Brunel Academy due to his stance on Palestine Action and Israel sanctions.
“An NEU member at a CLF school told the Cable how, in September, the union rep at BBA posted about Egan’s visit in a WhatsApp group, sparking a flurry of organising. ”
It continued: “Michaela Wilde, a pastoral support worker at City Academy, recalls staff mobilising fast: ‘[We had been] talking about things like people wearing keffiyehs to work that day… and the work that members could do with students in preparation for that visit.’
“School leaders, aware of the organising, contacted the NEU rep to say the visit was cancelled due to ‘safeguarding concerns.’ “Whether this was about protecting children or Egan himself remains unclear.”
A spokesperson for the school on Sunday suggested that the decision to postpone was made after learning of the protest plans, stating: “Mr Egan was due to discuss democracy and the role of an MP, while helping to raise aspirations among students who may have an interest in pursuing similar career paths.
“On the evening before Mr Egan’s scheduled visit, we were made aware of plans for a public protest outside the school. We opted to postpone Mr Egan’s visit to ensure everyone would continue to feel safe when entering and exiting school and to prevent any disruption to our students’ learning.
“We have remained in contact with Mr Egan, and an alternative date for his visit was arranged some time ago. We have also been in contact with the police and followed their advice.”
The cancellation, first revealed by Jewish News, drew national attention after Communities Secretary Steve Reed spoke at the Jewish Labour Movement’s conference last Sunday.
Reed told Jewish News news editor and publisher Justin Cohen at the Jewish Labour Movement’s annual conference: “I have a colleague who is Jewish, who has been banned from visiting a school and refused permission to visit a school in his own constituency, in case his presence inflames the teachers. That is an absolute outrage.”
Social media posts from pro-Palestine activists celebrated the cancellation. One Facebook post read: “The planned school visit today (Friday 5th September) by Damian Egan, MP for Bristol North East, has been cancelled after concerns were raised by the NEU trade union staff group, parents and local constituents. This is a clear message: politicians who openly support Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza are not welcome in our schools. Egan is Vice Chair of Labour Friends of Israel and has visited Israel since the current onslaught on Gaza began, demonstrating his support. We celebrate this cancellation as a win for safeguarding, solidarity, and for the power of trade unionists, parents, and campaigners standing together.”
The Bristol Cable’s article had suggested arms industry bosses had been targeting Bristol’s secondary schools, recruiting pupils for jobs at assemblies.
It said teachers, union reps, and campaign groups “are pushing back” over weapons sales to Israel and Saudi Arabia.
The NEU has been contacted for comment.
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