There's unions and then there is Solidarity

Patrick Harrington (far left) looking glum after another disasterous hearing.

Patrick Harrington’s Solidarity “Union” sent out an email yesterday. “Hard Time Ahead-Get Union Protection” it told me.

I agree with the sentiment. However that is about the only advice I would ever take from the faux trade union of the BNP. Their email continues “Apparently, the reason why businesses are not taking on workers is because it is not easy enough to sack them!”

There of course speaks the voice of experience, because Solidarity and its General Secretary Patrick Harrington seem to spend most of its time in employment tribunals defending the BNP against its former employees! Oh, and not very well I might add too.

Harrington and his fake union was recently criticised by the panel at the recent General Teaching Council for England (GTCE) hearing where Harrington was defending disgraced teacher and BNP activist Mark Walker. The hearing was called to discuss the conduct of Walker who used school computers to send a vulnerable 16-year-old former pupil a sexually explicit message via email.

Walker sent the girl emails while working at Sunnydale Community College, in Shildon, County Durham, in 2007. The panel found Walker guilty of unacceptable professional conduct and banned him from teaching indefinitely.

The panel criticised Harrington after he made a statement on the Solidarity website regarding Mark Walker’s suspension and referred to a scheduled investigatory meeting, which should have remained confidential to the school, Walker and Harrington.

The GTCE panel described Harrington’s actions as “inappropriate”.

Hope not hate

BNP teacher accused of sending 'inappropriate' emails to ex-pupil

He faces charges of unprofessional conduct after corresponding with 17-year-old girl

A prominent member of the British National Party faces being banned from the classroom by the General Teaching Council for England (GTC) after it emerged he will face charges of unprofessional conduct.

Mark Walker - whose brother Adam, a fellow BNP member and teacher, also fought a high-profile battle with the disciplinary body - is accused of misusing his school computer. Mr Walker, who now works for the far-right political party, is said to have used a school email account for "inappropriate email exchanges" with a 17-year-old female former pupil. He is expected to be charged with unprofessional conduct when he appears before the GTC this autumn.

The former teacher has already lost an employment tribunal case. He has claimed he was unfairly sacked from Sunnydale Community College in Shildon, County Durham, for his political views and involvement with the BNP.

In September 2007, more than 100 people demonstrated outside the school with placards in support of Mr Walker, claiming he had been suspended because of his membership of the BNP.

Mr Walker's GTC hearing was due to take place last week, but instead the panel held a "case management" meeting about his case. The GTC has not yet released details of the charges he faces.

His representative, Patrick Harrington, general secretary of the Solidarity union, told The TES that Mr Walker had referred himself to the disciplinary body because he wants to "challenge" allegations recorded on his Criminal Records Bureau enhanced disclosure form as a result of his dismissal.

"He is resigned to the fact he won't teach again. He feels there is a vendetta against him but he knows it's unlikely any employer would now give him a job," Mr Harrington said. "The school and local authority have flung huge numbers of charges at him, and he wants them to be tested."

A tribunal rejected Mr Walker's case for unfair dismissal, concluding that the school had been justified in letting him go because of his sickness record at the end of 2008.

Mr Walker, a technology teacher, was first suspended in March 2007 after concerns were raised that he and a teaching assistant had watched video footage of "sexual activity" on a school computer.

The allegations made in September 2007 of using a school email account for "inappropriate email exchanges" with the 17-year-old ex-pupil sparked an investigation by children's charity the NSPCC. It concluded that the correspondence suggested a sexual relationship between Mr Walker and the girl, and questioned whether he should be put in a position of trust.

During the same period, Mr Walker became ill and remained unfit for work.

THE WALKERS - In the family

Mark Walker's brother, Adam Walker, who stood as a BNP candidate at last year's general election, was cleared of religious intolerance by the GTC last year, despite posting comments about "filth from other countries" on a website while he should have been supervising pupils.

The drawn-out case cost the GTC £72,746. Mr Walker, who taught at Houghton Kepier Sports College, County Durham, used a school laptop to post his views.

The GTC said he had not broken any rules to bar him from the profession. Education secretary Michael Gove cited this decision as one of the reasons he decided to axe the disciplinary body.

TES

Extremists still allowed in classroom

New teacher standards won’t ban BNP

Schools will not be given powers to sack teachers who are members of extremist groups - including the BNP - under proposed new rules, union leaders have warned.

An overhaul of the standards that all teachers have to meet will not outlaw extremists from the classroom, according to a draft copy of the regulations seen by The TES. The revelation comes despite a pledge last year by education secretary Michael Gove to create new powers to fire BNP members and other extremists who work in schools.

The revamped standards are designed to incorporate the controversial General Teaching Council for England’s code of conduct, which places expectations on how teachers behave in their private lives.

According to the “ethics and behaviour” section of the new standards, teachers will be told that they must be tolerant and not undermine “UK democratic values” (see box). But union leaders have said this will not give schools any significant new powers to deal with extremist teachers.

NASUWT general secretary Chris Keates said: “The new standards don’t do anything different to the current frameworks, which means there are still no procedures to prevent teachers with extremist views (from being employed).”

Mr Gove spoke out following the case last year of Adam Walker, a BNP-supporting teacher who used a school computer to post a message describe immigrants as “filth” and “savages”. Despite his comments, the GTC found Mr Walker not guilty of racial and religious intolerance, prompting criticism from Mr Gove. He said at the time that new proposals were needed “to ensure that extremism has no place in our classrooms”.

Ms Keates, who met with Mr Gove last week, wants a change in teachers’ contracts to prevent BNP members from entering the profession, a provision already in force for police and prison officers. She said Mr Gove “seemed keen” on this proposal.

“We have still not got an answer from the Department for Education as to why BNP members can’t be banned from teaching; it’s not as if we would be setting a precedent,” Ms Keates said.

Russell Hobby, general secretary of heads’ union the NAHT, said the new standards would not lead to “vast” changes.

“I think the Government has gone as far as it can without undermining human rights,” he said. “It would be very difficult to ban a political party or ideology, so I sympathise entirely with their intent. There are several different points in the standards which could refer to membership of the BNP, and I think this does strengthen the position of headteachers who don’t want them on their staff, but not by vast amounts.”

John Bangs, senior research associate at Cambridge University and former head of education at the NUT, said the proposed standards were not the way to tackle extremist teachers.

“Teachers absolutely should not be affiliated to extremist roups, but the place to deal with that is in a code of conduct, not within pedagogic standards,” he said. “It’s entirely inappropriate and will make no difference whatever.”

The final draft of the standards are due to be submitted to Mr Gove next month, with a final report expected in the autumn.

A spokesman for the Department for Education said: “We want to ensure that the necessary powers are in place for head teachers and governing bodies to deal with any teacher who promotes inappropriate views or behaviour or advocates discrimination in schools. The Teachers’ Standards Review will look at how best to achieve this.”

CODE PROPOSALS: Key points

Teachers must:

• Have tolerance and respect for the rights of others, and not undermine UK democratic values.
• Not express personal beliefs, including political, religious or moral beliefs, in ways that exploit pupils’ vulnerability.
• Treat all pupils with dignity, building relationships rooted in mutual respect.

TES Connect

'Decision on BNP member may have sealed the fate of the GTCE' says NASUWT

Commenting on the announcement by Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Education, that the General Teaching Council for England (GTCE) is to be abolished, Chris Keates, General Secretary of the NASUWT, the largest teachers' union, said:

"I have absolutely no doubt that the Secretary of State's decision will be warmly welcomed by teachers across the country. I have frequently said that if the GTCE was abolished tomorrow few would notice and even less would care.

"For years, the NASUWT has been warning the GTCE that it was failing to gain the respect and confidence of the profession or to act appropriately in the public interests. Too much time, energy and resource has been frittered away on pursuing projects and issues which duplicated the work of other bodies and did little or nothing to enhance the status of the profession.

"The GTCE's recently revised Code of Conduct and Practice was largely unworkable. Over 30,000 teachers signed the NASUWT petition for its withdrawal. The NASUWT consistently urged the GTCE to focus on its regulatory function but recently even its ability to exercise that responsibly was thrown into question by its decision not to sanction British National Party (BNP) member, Adam Walker, for racist activity. This may well have sealed its fate.

"At the NASUWT Conference in April this year there was unanimous support for a motion calling for the abolition of the GTCE. The Government appears to be abolishing the body, not its statutory functions. Urgent discussions, therefore, are now needed about how these functions will be discharged properly in future.

"Decisions about a teacher's future career as a result of a disciplinary or competence sanction imposed by employers cannot and must not be left to the determination of individual schools. A robust, clear, fair and transparent procedure is needed."

politics.co.uk

County Durham BNP teacher race claims dismissed

Allegations that a British National Party activist posted racist comments online while working as a teacher in County Durham have been dismissed

The General Teaching Council (GTC) had heard Adam Walker used a school laptop to post descriptions of some immigrants as "savage animals" and "filth". Mr Walker, from Spennymoor, said he had been singled out because of his views.

The GTC found him guilty of a single charge of misconduct after he admitted using a laptop during lessons. Mr Walker was the first teacher to appear before the GTC accused of racial intolerance. It was alleged the views expressed in the postings constituted unacceptable professional conduct.

He resigned from Houghton Kepier Sports College, in Houghton-le-Spring, in 2007 after his head teacher asked IT staff to investigate his use of the internet.

The GTC panel said it was "troubled" by some of the postings made by Mr Walker, who also claimed Britain was becoming a "dumping ground for the filth of the Third World". But the three-member committee said it was not satisfied that the "intemperate" views expressed by Mr Walker during his time at the school were suggestive of intolerance.

The hearing was told that in one posting, it was alleged Mr Walker claimed the BNP had risen in popularity because "they are the only party who are making a stand and are prepared to protect the rights of citizens against the savage animals New Labour and Bliar (sic) are filling our communities with".

The teacher's trade union representative, Patrick Harrington, said Mr Walker accepted he was wrong to use a computer to access the online forum during school time. However, he argued that none of the terms used by Mr Walker had demonstrated racial or religious intolerance.

BBC

BNP teacher 'described immigrants as filth'

A teacher posted comments on the internet describing some immigrants as "savage animals" and "filth", a disciplinary panel heard

Adam Walker, a British National Party member, used a school laptop to access an online forum in which he claimed parts of Britain were a "dumping ground" for the Third World, the General Teaching Council was told on Monday.

Mr Walker is the first teacher to appear before the GTC accused of racial intolerance. He resigned from Houghton Kepier Sports College in Houghton-le-Spring, near Sunderland, in 2007.

Opening the case against the former soldier, Bradley Albuery, GTC presenting officer, alleged that the postings demonstrated views suggestive of both racial and religious intolerance. In one posting, Mr Walker claimed the BNP had risen in popularity because "they are the only party who are making a stand and are prepared to protect the rights of citizens against the savage animals New Labour and Bliar (sic) are filling our communities with".

In another posting on the same day, Mr Walker wrote: "By following recent media coverage of illegal animals and how they are allowed to stay here despite committing heinous crimes, I am, to say the very least, disgusted."

Another posting claimed that some immigrants hated people who were white and had western values.

Under existing legislation, BNP members are not banned from being teachers. But the GTC has the power to ban teachers from the classroom and issue suspensions or formal reprimands for bringing the profession into disrepute.

Concluding his opening statement, Mr Albuery said: "This case is not about the BNP or whether teachers should be members of that lawful party. This case is about the actions and behaviour of a registered teacher, using a school property on school premises in school time."

Mr Walker, from Spennymoor, County Durham, is alleged to have spent more than eight hours using the laptop for purposes not connected to his school duties. The teacher, who worked at Houghton Kepier for more than six years, resigned after his head teacher asked IT staff to investigate his use of the internet.

In a statement read to the hearing, Mr Walker said that he had not communicated his political thoughts and beliefs to staff or pupils at the school.

"I have always sought to bring out the best in my pupils,” he said. "I have certainly never discriminated against an individual on grounds of race, faith or sexuality. Part of why I became a teacher is to help people overcome social disadvantage and reach their full potential."

Commenting on the content of his postings, Mr Walker said he had been influenced by media coverage of a female PC shot dead by two illegal immigrants and the murder of British hostage Ken Bigley in Iraq.

"Looking back now I feel that I was unduly influenced by the hostile climate the media created," he said. "This led me to express intemperate views which lacked complexity and balance. I should have taken more time to think about the possible offence my words might have caused and I think I could have expressed myself more carefully and positively. I have never condemned all immigrants or asylum seekers. My comments relate to those I perceive as coming to our country and committing criminal offences or otherwise behaving badly. In many cases, I cut and pasted views from a variety of sources in order to provoke debate and these were not attributed.”

More than a dozen uniformed police officers were on duty outside the GTC's offices in central Birmingham, where demonstrators had gathered during the hearing on Monday.

The hearing continues.

Telegraph

BNP teacher could be banned in GTC 'first'

After admitting anti-Muslim postings, he faces historic charge of religious intolerance

A BNP supporter could become the first teacher to be struck off for religious intolerance next Monday. Adam Walker will appear before a General Teaching Council (GTC) panel on Monday, charged with making anti-Muslim comments on a website while using a school laptop.

Mr Walker, who used to teach at Houghton Kepier Sports College at Houghton-le-Spring, near Sunderland, quit the school in 2007. He admits writing the comments - made under a pseudonym - but claims they had no link to his work as a design and technology teacher.

Legal wrangles have been going on for over a year, and his team has succeeded in removing former NUT president Judy Moorhouse from the disciplinary panel, arguing that her union's policies mean she would be biased against him. Fears of clashes between the BNP, protesters and police led to the case being postponed at the beginning of last year. But his lawyers were unsuccessful in their claim that website administrators were wrong to reveal his identity and his posts should not be used in evidence.

Mr Walker, now working as campaigns co-ordinator for BNP MEP Andrew Brons, has vowed to take the case to the "highest level" if found guilty.

Teaching union the NASUWT has accused the GTC of allowing the BNP to use the case to attract publicity.

Mr Walker's brother Mark, who taught at Sunnydale Community College in Shildon, County Durham, lost his employment tribunal case for unfair dismissal last month. He claimed he had been fired for his political views and involvement with the BNP. But the panel said the school had been justified in its actions on account of his sickness record.

TES

Who is the BNP's "soldier"?

The far right party exploits the war in Afghanistan for a propaganda stunt

Today's Metro reports that the BNP leader Nick Griffin, who is standing for parliament in Barking, Essex, was criticised for campaigning alongside a man in army uniform at the weekend. The far right, anti-immigration party, which is hoping to pick up votes by playing on people's disquiet at the war in Afghanistan was criticised by a soldiers' charity, ABS, which said there was "no place in the army for racism or politics."

Metro claims not to know whether the man pictured with Griffin is a serving soldier. However I can reveal he is no such thing: his name is Adam Walker, 41, a BNP member and former teacher who faces being struck off by the General Teaching Council for posting racist messages on the internet during a lesson.

On Saturday he was parading in front of news cameras gathered in Barking to cover the BNP's campaign launch. Asked if he was a real soldier, he admitted he wasn't. "I'm wearing this uniform in solidarity with our boys in Afghanistan," Walker said.

New Statesman

BNP teacher's misconduct hearing postponed

A misconduct case against a North East teacher has been postponed because of police fears over racial tensions

Adam Walker, a member of the British National Party (BNP), is alleged to have posted critical comments against asylum seekers, immigrants and the “promotion” of homosexuality on the party’s website during a lesson. The former teacher at Houghton Kepier Sports College in Houghton-le-Spring, near Sunderland, now faces being struck off the teaching register for unacceptable professional conduct.

A hearing at the General Teaching Council (GTC) offices was due to begin in central Birmingham today but has been adjourned after West Midlands Police raised concerns over “potential public order consequences”. Officers highlighted fears about disorder if Mr Walker’s supporters were to turn up and asked the GTC to consider holding the hearing elsewhere.

The call by police follows a violent clash between anti-fascist campaigners and the right-wing English Defence League in the city two weeks ago.

A West Midlands Police spokesman said: “West Midlands Police requested a temporary adjournment of the General Teaching Council hearing amid concerns over public order. Previous hearings have attracted supporters of Mr Walker and counter protesters, and incidents of disorder have followed. Those incidents and current concerns from sectors of the community over the timing and venue of the hearing meant a postponement was the best option to ensure public safety.

“We acknowledge the committee’s concern that the matters relating to Mr Walker should be expedited as soon as possible at a later date or alternative venue. Officers are today making contact with a group which had been planning a protest outside the hearing to inform them of the adjournment.”

The allegation brought against Mr Walker by the GTC states that he engaged in unacceptable professional conduct by allegedly demonstrating views suggestive of racial and religious intolerance while using a school laptop.

The case against Mr Walker has already been adjourned several times. In November riot police were called to the GTC offices, where dozens of BNP supporters and anti-fascist activists had gathered. Adjourning the case, the GTC said it was “concerned about the length of time it is taking to progress this case” and said it “should not be subject to unnecessary delay”.

Mr Walker, a former soldier and karate expert, left his job at Houghton Kepier in 2007 after admitting using a school computer to access a BNP discussion forum. He faces becoming the first teacher in the country to be struck off the teaching register for religious intolerance if the GTC panel rules against him.

A new date for the hearing will be arranged in the next week and a decision on a new venue will be made.

Journal Live

Police cite riot fears to delay case against BNP teacher Adam Walker

Adam Walker shouting his mouth off as usual

The case against a teacher and British National Party member accused of religious intolerance has been postponed because police fear it will cause flare-ups in the community

The unprecedented intervention in the case of Adam Walker, a former soldier and karate expert from Durham, who was due to face the General Teaching Council (GTC) in Birmingham tomorrow, was made because of tensions between far-right activists and the Muslim community. The council will decide if Mr Walker, 39, should be struck off the register after he was alleged to have used a school computer to contribute racist and religiously intolerant views to online discussions during lessons. If found guilty he will be the first teacher to be banned for religious intolerance.

Violent clashes between the right-wing English Defence League and Muslims in Birmingham earlier this month heightened tensions in the community. Ahead of the hearing, Superintendent Matt Ward of West Midlands Police wrote to the GTC expressing “concern about the potential public order consequences of the hearing being convened in Birmingham at this time,” the council said today. Superintedent Ward requested that the hearing be postponed or relocated to prevent further outbreaks of violence.

The council and the parties involved have seven days to find an alternative date and venues to prevent further delays.

Mr Walker, who is president of Solidarity, a trade union closely associated with the BNP, has already been called before the GTC on two previous dates. Both were postponed on different grounds. He left his post as a technology teacher at Houghton Kepier Sports College in Houghton-le-Spring, near Sunderland in 2007 following the allegations.

The alleged incident, in which he is said to have criticised Muslims, homosexuals and asylum-seekers, is said to have happened between February and March 2007.

He was first brought before the teaching watchdog in November 2008 but the hearing was adjourned after Patrick Harrington, representing Mr Walker, successfully argued that the presence of Judy Moorhouse, a former president of the National Union of Teachers and a “known opponent” of the BNP, could prejudice the hearing.

Police officers, some wearing riot gear, were deployed outside that hearing after dozens of BNP supporters and anti-fascist activists gathered in Birmingham’s Victoria Square outside the offices of the GTC.

Mr Walker’s brother, Mark, lost an appeal against his sacking from Sunnydale College, Shildon, County Durham. Mark Walker, also a technology teacher, is accused of accessing the BNP’s website during school hours. Sunnydale Board of Governors upheld a decision to terminate his contract owing to ill health.

Times Online

Teachers' body won't stop BNP working in schools

• General Teaching Council accused of failing to act
• Party members banned from police and prisons

The General Teaching Council for England is today accused by members of its governing body of failing to act to prevent British National party members from teaching in schools.

The GTCE has refused to write a clause into its new code for teachers barring BNP members from working in state schools. This was after receiving legal advice that to do so could "prejudice" teachers who are members of the far-right party.

In a letter to the Guardian today, five members of the governing body of the GTCE – which registers teachers to work in state schools in England and conducts disciplinary hearings – call for an urgent public debate. "We believe that being a member of the BNP is fundamentally inconsistent with the ethos of schools in this country," they write.

They say the election of two BNP candidates to the European parliament, including the party's leader, Nick Griffin, who has a conviction for inciting racial hatred, has made the issue even more urgent.

Members of the BNP, the National Front and Combat 18 are barred from working in the police force or prison service. The Church of England is considering a similar measure. Teaching leaders called for the government to rewrite teachers' contracts, banning BNP members from schools, saying failure to do so was allowing "creeping legitimisation" of the party.

The GTCE is due to debate its new code next month. A draft version said "respect, equality, diversity and inclusion" were among eight "core values" that should be shared by all in the teaching profession.

It also included the ruling that teachers "maintain standards of behaviour, both inside and outside school". But the GTCE refused to include a clause banning BNP membership. In a statement, the GTCE said it was advised it could not bar members of a "lawful" political party. Any council member who expressed a view against the BNP could be accused of discrimination, prejudicing the case.

"As a regulatory body, we cannot regulate against the beliefs of professionals, only their actions and conduct," it said. Any council member who expressed anti-BNP views could not adjudicate in hearings involving BNP members and might compromise the council's impartiality.

The letter to the Guardian reads: "The new code should clearly state that BNP members will not be eligible for registration as teachers by the GTC ... If it is possible for other professions to resolve the legal difficulties, then it should be possible for the GTC." The authors argue that legislation requires everyone working in schools to "promote good race relations and community cohesion".

Kirit Modi, a former teacher, deputy of education at Islington council, north London, and now an education consultant, is one of the signatories. He said: "We have been told we can't discuss this matter because it will cause legal difficulties. We haven't been able to debate this within the GTC and that's why we are calling for a wider debate."

A list of BNP members leaked last year included 15 teachers, four nurses, a prison officer, 17 former police officers and 16 members of the armed forces.

Chris Keates, general secretary of the NASUWT teaching union, said BNP members should be banned across the public sector. "If BNP members are too racist or fascist to be in the police then they are too racist or fascist to work with children.

"It would be easy for someone in the BNP, holding the views they do, to discriminate against pupils. It would be easy for a BNP member to exclude pupils from black or minority ethnic groups by simply not giving them equal attention and that would be very hard to detect," she said. "I can understand the GTC may be in a difficulty of prohibiting somebody through a code of conduct. But I don't think the GTC is powerless. They could be campaigning to change teachers' contracts."

The union has lobbied successive secretary of states for education to tackle the issue in teachers' contracts.

Guardian

Case of BNP teacher adjourned

Technology teacher allegedly posted unacceptable comments on forum

A teacher accused of using a school laptop to spread religious intolerance on the internet had his misconduct case adjourned today.

Adam Walker, a member of the British National Party, is alleged to have posted comments "suggestive of racial and religious intolerance" in an online forum between February and March 2007. At the time, Walker was a technology teacher at Houghton Kepier sports college in Houghton-le-Spring, near Sunderland.

Walker, an ex-soldier, asked the General Teaching Council's panel, which was hearing his case in Birmingham today, to stay the proceedings because he was not represented by a lawyer.

Patrick Harrington, Walker's trade union representative, told the panel his client was being denied a right to a fair hearing. The panel rejected this, but granted his request for an adjournment.

Walker, from Spennymoor, County Durham, plans to examine whether he is able to seek a judicial review of the panel's decision that he did not have to be represented by a lawyer. The case was adjourned until April 29 – unless an application for judicial review is made before April 22.

Guardian

Birmingham clashes feared at demo over BNP teacher hearing

Adam Walker talking rubbish through a megaphone

Labour and Liberal Democrat city councillors are backing a demonstration being held in Birmingham against a teacher who faces the sack for allegedly contributing to a British National Party website discussion on asylum seekers and homosexuality while conducting a lesson.

Adam Walker, a BNP member from Sunderland, is appearing this week before the General Teaching Council in Birmingham. The GTC will decide what action to take against Mr Walker, 39, who is being defended by the BNP’s general secretary.

Paul Tilsley, deputy leader of Birmingham City Council, became the most senior figure to promote Wednesday's rally, which is due to get under way at 12.30pm in Victoria Square, yards from the General Teaching Council headquarters. Coun Tilsley (Lib Dem Sheldon) said: “I am happy to support the anti-BNP demonstration, as they have no part to play in a modern multi-party democracy. Their platform is divisive and supports the Nazi policies that caused death and destruction and the deaths of 30 million people.”

Sparkbrook Respect councillor Salma Yaqoob added: “The BNP is a racist, fascist organisation. It is not a legitimate political party. Their policies are openly racist and would be a catastrophe for the people of Birmingham. We can discuss and argue with parties we disagree with but there can be no discussion with people who want to remove us from the country.”

Organisers of the protest fear that the BNP is planning its own demonstration in support of Mr Walker – raising fears of a clash between left and far-right groups.

Yardley Liberal Democrat MP John Hemming accused the BNP of being the “heirs of Hitler parading in Victoria Square”. Mr Hemming said: “We call on the people of Birmingham to express peaceful opposition to the politics of racial and religious hatred and to make it clear there is no place in Birmingham for organisations which wish to expel religious and racial minorities.”

In a statement, also signed by Ladywood Labour MP Clare Short, the councillors said: “Birmingham is famous as a vibrant multicultural city composed of people from many parts of the world. The BNP wants an exclusively white Britain and is led by a person who has denied the Holocaust and who now blames Muslims for Britain’s problems.”

BNP West Midlands spokesman Simon Darby accused the councillors of “meddling in matters that are not their concern”. Mr Darby added: “They are basically trying to get someone the sack because he does not support their political views, and that has got to be wrong.”

Birmingham Post

BNP member may be struck off teaching register

Solidarity's Adam Walker: expecting detention from the General Teaching Council

A teacher and prominent British National party member could be struck from the teaching register after he was accused of posting racist comments to a website from his school laptop.

Adam Walker, who taught at Houghton Kepier sports college, a foundation school in Houghton-le-Spring, Tyne and Wear, has stood as a candidate for the BNP in local elections and is president of the party's closely affiliated trade union Solidarity. He is accused of expressing views "suggestive of racial and religious intolerance" in an online forum.

Walker resigned from his post at the school after the disciplinary action was taken. The allegations date back to spring 2007.

The comments he is accused of making have not been made public but will be closely scrutinised in the General Teaching Council hearing later this year.

Walker is currently attempting to have the GTC chairwoman, Judy Moorhouse, removed from the disciplinary hearing panel, claiming she is biased against him. He told the Times Educational Supplement that the case was being "driven by political spite", adding: "No other teacher at the school has had their internet use monitored in the way mine was. My real crime is political dissidence."

Christina McAnea, of Unison, said: "Schools should be centres of learning and tolerance, not breeding grounds for the poisonous views of the BNP."

Walker worked as a supply teacher at Teesdale school in Barnard Castle, County Durham, last year. He stood as a BNP candidate for Tudhoe in the Durham county council elections in May.

Guardian