A visit by a Jewish MP to a school in his constituency was cancelled after a campaign by pro-Palestinian teachers and threats from parents to keep their children at home.
Damien Egan, the Labour MP for Bristol North East, was due to visit Bristol Brunel Academy in September, but the visit was cancelled after protests were planned and teachers threatened to wear keffiyehs to school on the day.
The campaign was led by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) and the National Education Union (NEU). It is understood a visit by Egan to a second school in the trust was subsequently abandoned by mutual agreement.
The Bristol branch of the PSC said it acted because Egan was vice-chair of Labour Friends of Israel.
Steve Reed, the communities secretary, said the incident was an “outrage” and the school’s leaders would be held to account.
A source close to Egan said: “It is a classic case of how far-left extremists and some members of the NEU try to silence and cancel people. It cannot be allowed to be the case that MPs cannot visit a local school because of a risk that teachers will protest and their safety endangered.”
Egan outside his childhood home in Kingswood, in his constituency
ADRIAN SHERRATT FOR THE TIMES
Senior leaders at the academy are understood to have told staff that Egan’s visit was cancelled over “safeguarding concerns”.
The Times understands the visit was cancelled the day before it was due to take place after school leaders became worried about protests. They were made aware of WhatsApp messages circulating among parents, some of whom planned to keep their children off school, which the leaders feared would affect attendance statistics.
The school is part of the Cabot Learning Federation, which is sponsored by the University of the West of England and Rolls-Royce.
Reed told the Jewish Labour Movement 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.
“[Those responsible] will be called in, and they will be held to account for doing that, because you cannot have people with those kinds of attitudes teaching our children.”
A teacher at Bristol Brunel Academy is understood to have sent messages to fellow teachers and parents in a WhatsApp group on learning of Egan’s visit.
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Michaela Wilde, a pastoral support worker at City Academy, a sister school, told the Bristol Cable, a left-leaning media publisher: “[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.”
The PSC’s Bristol branch wrote in a Facebook post on the day of the planned visit: “Victory for parents, teachers and the community. The planned school visit today by Damien 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.”
At the Jewish Labour Movement conference, Reed had been discussing antisemitism after the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel, which he said should have prompted solidarity with Britain’s Jews.
“We have to call this stuff out,” he said. “We have to have consistency, and we have to be prepared to change the law when it happens. Otherwise, we are legitimising this at the fringes, and that’s where it grows from.”.
Last year the NEU was coaching members on bringing the “Palestinian struggle” into schools. UK Lawyers for Israel said that workshops in schools on how to “advocate for Palestine” could breach rules on political views in educational settings.
At the same event, Reed did not rule out action against councils that tried to adopt Israel boycotts. “Councils should be focusing on council services and not playing international politics. Councils don’t have foreign policy,” he said.
“They need to be looking at how they’re caring for older people, fixing the potholes in the road and getting fly, tipping off the corner of the streets where people live. I applied that to myself when I was a council leader, and I will require it of council leaders across the country today.”
Arif Ahmed, director for freedom of speech at the Office for Students, said he was “very concerned about the rise in national antisemitism and very concerned also about antisemitism against university students”.
The Cabot Learning Federation was approached for comment.
Bristol Brunel Academy said: “Damien Egan MP — as a high-achieving alumnus of the Cabot Learning Federation, and in common with other local MPs from across the political spectrum — was invited in September to visit.
“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. As this protest was scheduled to coincide with the end in the school day, 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.”