Commenting after the passing of an urgent motion at NEU Annual Conference, Daniel Kebede, General Secretary of the National Education Union, said:
“Diane Abbott is both the first black woman elected to British parliament and the longest-serving black MP. She has a long track record of standing up for British working people and advocating for their social and workplace rights. This public-facing role has meant that Diane has been the target of both racist and misogynistic abuse from the public as well as the media for her entire political career; for this abusive language to come from a high-profile Conservative Party donor is a disgrace and must be challenged.
“The NEU wants Diane Abbott and other women in public life to be able to do their jobs free from intimidation and threats. Comments and ideas which espouse violent, hateful rhetoric and encourage violence have no place in national public debate; they increase racism, and harm us all. When national debate normalises prejudice and even violence, this has a direct impact on young people and in schools and colleges.
“The Prevent duty can undermine good information sharing and thorough investigation of an incident and creates discrimination against Muslim students and staff. Responding to any concerns about young people’s welfare is the paramount responsibility in schools but safeguarding policies are the better way to respond where young people under the aged of 18 are exposed to extremist ideas.”