reported <\/a>The Telegraph, wrote to him that he was accused of showing his students \u2018videos of Donald Trump, his campaign, propaganda and other videos which are unrelated to what is being taught\u2019.\u00a0<\/p>\nAt this point one might expect an adult to enter the room and close the matter. But that is to misunderstand the wholesale transformation of British officialdom and many elite opinion-leaders over the last few years. From the upper reaches of the civil service, through education and the public sector, the BBC and the legions of NGOs that control cultural and intellectual life, the process of wokeification is near universal. An entire generation, if not sections of British whole society has, for want of a better word, been \u2018fragilized\u2019. Feelings, even when evidently absurd and likely just attention-seeking, must always triumph over facts. Nobody must be made to feel \u2018uncomfortable\u2019, let alone have their assumptions challenged. A-levels, the examinations taken by 17 and 18-year-olds to enter university are supposedly designed to encourage critical thinking. But not, it seems, at Henley College.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018They likened me to a terrorist. It was completely jarring. It\u2019s dystopian, like something from a George Orwell novel\u2019<\/p>\n
And here the teacher\u2019s story takes an even more absurd, but also sinister turn. The college referred him to the Local Authority Designated Officer in charge of safeguarding issues. The LADO\u2019s report, issued in May 2025, claimed the teacher\u2019s views \u2018could be perceived as radical\u2019. It recommended that the college refer him to Prevent, the government counter-terrorism authority in charge of tackling radicalization and preventing the spread of extremist ideologies. The teacher told the The Telegraph newspaper: \u2018They likened me to a terrorist. It was completely jarring. It\u2019s dystopian, like something from a George Orwell novel.\u2019 <\/p>\n
Now desperate, the teacher turned to the Free Speech Union for legal and moral support against the disciplinary investigation. The FSU\u2019s director, Lord Young, said that showing Donald Trump videos to a class of politics students \u2018does not make you a risk to children\u2019. Safeguarding protocols were being weaponized to \u2018silence someone for political reasons\u2019. Eventually the teacher began a grievance procedure and received a \u00a32,000 pay-off after resigning from his post. He is now working on temporary assignments at different schools as a stand-in teacher. Henley College told The Telegraph that it did not comment on \u2018individual allegations or ongoing investigations\u2019, but was committed to \u2018safeguarding the well-being of all our students and staff\u2019 in line with legislation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So what then of Bob Vylan and the group\u2019s call for death to Israeli soldiers, which was broadcast on the BBC? The group\u2019s chants caused widespread anger and not only among the Jewish community. The Glastonbury festival organizers strongly condemned Bob Vylan\u2019s hate-speech, saying they were \u2018appalled\u2019 by the statements which \u2018very much crossed a line\u2019. US authorities revoked the group\u2019s visas for a planned tour. Other venues and festivals cancelled planned appearances. The stage seemed set for potentially serious legal consequences. But not in today\u2019s Britain.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Avon and Somerset police, the force responsible for the investigation, said on 23 December 2025 that no further action would be taken. The force said in a statement: \u2018We sought specific consideration around the words stated, in terms of the intent behind them, the wider context of how people heard what was said, case law and anything else potentially relevant, including freedom of speech. Every case must be treated on its own merits.\u2019 Citing \u2018evidential difficulties that cannot be ignored,\u2019 the force said the case did not \u2018meet the criminal threshold outlined by the CPS [Crown Prosecution Service] for any person to be prosecuted.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018The selective removal away of Britons\u2019 centuries-old freedoms has been ongoing for many years\u2019<\/p>\n
The decision was met with anger and bewilderment, both by Jewish groups and everyday citizens that wanted to see firm government action against the explosion of antisemitism in Britain since the 7 October attacks. The Community Security Trust, which provides protection to Britain\u2019s Jewish community, said: \u2018It is incredibly disappointing that the police and CPS have decided not to charge in this case, particularly when police forces in London and Manchester are adopting a stronger approach to tackling hateful rhetoric. It sends completely the wrong message at the worst possible time.\u2019<\/p>\n
Back in the 1990s, when I first moved to Budapest, I would occasionally meet Hungarians with near-perfect English, delivered in a BBC accent. For decades they had been taught that Britain, the home of Magna Carta and ancient liberties, was a land that cherished its freedoms. Sadly, that country has long vanished. The selective removal away of Britons\u2019 centuries-old freedoms has been ongoing for many years, including under Conservative governments. It has rapidly accelerated in less than two years of a Labour administration. Nowadays calling for the death of Israeli soldiers on a programme shown by the national broadcaster brings no penalty. But merely showing a pro-Trump video can turn someone\u2019s life inside out.<\/p>\n
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