Education Minister Condemns Death Threats Against Pupils Who Dropped Quran in School

Minister of State for School Standards Nick Gibb arrives at the Cabinet Office ahead of a government COVID-19 Coronavirus Cobra meeting in London, on March 11, 2020. Luke Dray/Getty Images

The UK’s Education minister has condemned reported death threats against pupils who caused “slight damage” to a copy of the Quran when it fell on the floor in a school, calling it “totally unacceptable.”

Minister for Schools Nick Gibb has said his department is working with Kettlethorpe High School in Wakefield, West Yorkshire after it suspended four students over the incident.

West Yorkshire Police became involved after a Year 10 boy, who is believed to be autistic, brought a copy of Islam’s holy book to Wakefield’s Kettlethorpe High School as part of a dare last week, and its cover was slightly torn while smears of dirt were found on some pages.

Kettlethorpe Headteacher Tudor Griffiths said in a statement at the time: “We would like to reassure all our community that the holy book remains fully intact and that our initial enquiries indicate there was no malicious intent by those involved.”

‘No Blasphemy Law’

On Thursday, Gibb condemned reported death threats against the pupils, adding that there is “no blasphemy law” in the UK and schools should be supporting “British values” including “individual liberty.”

He said: “My first priority is always the wellbeing of children and young people.

“The death threats reportedly issued against the pupils are totally unacceptable.

“There is no blasphemy law in this country and schools should be promoting the fundamental British values of the respect for rule of law, individual liberty, and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.

“The Department for Education is working closely with the school, and I will write to the headteacher and local authority to offer my support.

“Our guidance for schools on how to manage suspensions is clear, stating that all decisions should be reasonable, fair, and proportionate.

“In circumstances where parents feel discipline has not met these standards, they can follow the school’s complaints procedure and raise the issue with the school’s governors or the local authority,” he added.

‘Inclusive School’

At the time the school’s headteacher said: “We would like to reassure all our community that the holy book remains fully intact and that our initial inquiries indicate there was no malicious intent by those involved.

“However, we have made it very clear that their actions did not treat the Koran with the respect it should have, so those involved have been suspended and we will be working with them to ensure they understand why their actions were unacceptable.”

Griffiths said that “Kettlethorpe High School is an inclusive school where we want all our pupils to feel safe and secure.”

“Understanding and respecting each other is a fundamental part of who we are and we are coming together and learning from this.

“With the support of our local Muslim community leaders, we are continuing to investigate thoroughly,” he added.

At a subsequent meeting at the local Jamia Masjid Swafia mosque called to address the incident, the boy’s mother pleaded her son’s case to a panel that included imans, Tudor Griffiths, and Inspector Andy Thornton, who confirmed that the students’ treatment of the book has been recorded as a hate incident.

Free Speech Union

On Wednesday, a West Yorkshire Police spokesman told The Epoch Times by email that no hate crime has been recorded, but that a “hate incident” has been recorded as initial enquiries “confirmed that minor damage was caused to a religious text.”

The Free Speech Union (FSU) has since intervened and wrote on Twitter that it was “hard pressed to imagine a sequence of events more likely to chill public debate and freedom of expression than recording this episode as a ‘hate incident’ and attaching that data to the children’s records, in spite of the absence of any malicious intent.”

In a letter addressed to Inspector Andy Thornton, FSU General Secretary Toby Young wrote: “We are deeply concerned by the official response to the troubling events at Kettlethorpe High School in Wakefield, following an accusation that a Year 10 pupil caused ‘slight damage’ to a copy of the Quran.”

“We understand that this has resulted in death threats being made against the pupil in question and that no police action is to be taken against those who have made these threats after the mother of the pupil who received them was visibly placed under pressure not to pursue the matter at an event held at a local mosque,” he added.

Young noted that at that event, Thornton stated that this minor damage to the pupil’s private property was being treated as a hate incident despite an investigation by the school having concluded that there was “no malicious intent” behind the minor damage to one page of this book.

“We know from dealing with other cases, that when the police conclude a ‘non-crime hate incident’ has been committed by an individual or group of individuals, that information is kept on file and can show up when an enhanced criminal records check is shown up,” said Young.

PA Media contributed to this report.