Teacher Gets JAIL TIME – He Used The Wrong Words
(RightWing.org) – The battle for freedom of religion versus expression isn’t unique to the United States. A teacher in the Republic of Ireland recently found that out when he received jail time for refusing to use mandated words when addressing a student.
On September 5, High Court Judge Justice Michael Quinn ordered the arrest of secondary school teacher Enoch Burke. He was then sent to Dublin’s Mountjoy Prison on contempt charges.
Secondary school teacher Enoch Burke has been sent to prison for breaching a High Court order preventing him from attending or attempting to teach at the secondary school where he is employed | https://t.co/1jF5ApDqtl pic.twitter.com/JEyoajY2Ew
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) September 5, 2022
Burke’s legal battle began after he refused to obey a directive from superiors at Wilson’s Hospital School to refer to a transgender pupil using their preferred pronoun — he was then suspended. Judge Quinn granted a temporary injunction barring him from instructing students or entering the property. When the teacher violated that injunction, school officials reportedly found him sitting in an empty classroom, the judge issued an order directing law enforcement officers to arrest Burke and bring him to the High Court.
The instructor told the court he refused to comply with the order, citing his firmly held Christian beliefs. Continuing, he told the judge he would never betray his faith by bowing down to a demand from education officials to refer to a boy using a feminine pronoun.
Burke also said authorities could not suspend him without an allegation of gross misconduct. Nevertheless, Quinn ordered the teacher’s incarceration until he “purged his contempt,” something the instructor said he was incapable of doing.
The judge declined to comment on the elements of the case, stating he based his decision on Burke’s refusal to heed the court’s order and not the underlying issue involving the requirement to use certain words.
What do you think about this situation? Whose rights are being violated — the teacher or the student?
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