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An official review, due to be published on Monday 25th March, 2024, is set to recommend the banning of protests outside schools, following a concerning incident where a teacher was forced into hiding after showing pupils a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad.

As reported by The Times newspaper, the review, led by Dame Sara Khan, an independent social cohesion adviser, will issue a scathing critique, pointing out failures by the school and authorities involved in the Batley Grammar School controversy, 

The incident occurred when the Head of Religious Studies at the West Yorkshire school presented a drawing from the French satirical magazine, Charlie Hebdo, during a class, leading to several days of protests outside the school.

The teacher had delivered a lesson on free speech and blasphemy, with a resource that included images of the Prophet Muhammad, the Pope and Jesus Christ. At least two other teachers had also used the resource in question.

Those protests were instigated, and led, by local Imam, Mohammed Amin Pandor (pictured above), brother of Cllr Shabir Pandor, leader of Labour-run Kirklees Council at the time and very central to choosing Kim Leadbeater as the Batley and Spen by-election candidate for the Labour Party in 2021.

Ms Leadbeater has never uttered a single word about the Batley Grammar School scandal, either before, during her election campaign or since she was elected.

One former editor of a newspaper based in the town says: “Kim appears to do the mosques’ bidding in Batley better than former MP, Shahid Malik, ever managed in Dewsbury. Muslim MPs can cloudy the water in split theological communities (Deobandi vs Sufi/Barelvi); she looks to obey all without really understanding what’s going on”.

Tracy Brabin, then Labour MP for Batley and Spen, another politician frequently alleged to be in permanent thrall to the Muslim community in her constituency, issued a statement, including these words, “the upset and offence this has caused is understandable, but it was also predictable. I am pleased that the school has recognised it was inappropriate and apologised for the offence caused.” A few days later, Ms Brabin issued another statement making clear that, “no teacher should be facing intimidation or threats, there is no excuse for that…I welcome the school’s apology and recognition of the offence this has caused…”. The permanent and profound plight of the schoolteacher and his family, being forced to flee and remain in hiding, did not rate a mention.

His name, picture and address were being shared widely on social media alongside threatening comments. Having made the decision to leave his home almost immediately, he was made aware from neighbours that groups of men and teenagers had been congregating outside his house. The threats against him continued for a prolonged period after the classroom incident.

In response to the classroom incident, the school promptly suspended the teacher, pending an investigation, with Headmaster, Gary Kibble, issuing an “unequivocal apology” for the use of the “totally inappropriate image.”

Footage circulated on social media showed West Yorkshire Police officers reading the Head’s apology statement to the protesters, around 40 to 50 in number, highlighting the intense scrutiny and pressure surrounding the case.

The apology was also sent by the Headmaster to parents of every pupil in the school, at the time over 1,000.

Appeasing the protesters was the priority for both the school, the police and the local MP. Cllr Pandor was a Batley councillor (and still is).

The situation escalated when the teacher received a series of death threats or threats of other forms of violence against him and/or his family, prompting authorities to belatedly provide police protection.

The teacher had contacted the police about the protests on the first morning, informing them that he was the teacher that was at the centre of the controversy. The police stated they were already aware of the situation. The teacher was unhappy with the lack of concern by the police and prevented his young children from going to school that day – instead gathering his family, a few belongings and leaving West Yorkshire for his own and their safety.

Even three years later, the teacher remains in hiding, with little hope of returning to a normal life or his home.

Khan’s review will expose how the teacher felt “totally isolated,” “abandoned,” and “suicidal” due to inadequate support from the relevant agencies, notably WYP and Kirklees Council.

Both those agencies gave evidence to the review, as did current serving police officers, including counterterrorism officers, and local MPs. None, it sems, pointed to the connection between the Pandor brothers and its impact, real or otherwise, on the incident, the protests and how both were handled.

Before the review’s publication, Khan expressed her ‘shock’ and ‘personal dismay’ over the incident, emphasising its broader implications for individuals across the country.

She criticised the lack of awareness and proper response protocols, stating that anyone could face similar threats due to their profession, academic work, or civic activism.

Despite the severity of the threats and intimidation faced by the teacher, including groups gathering outside his home, Khan pointed out that no arrests have been made. A local police officer anonymously admitted to Khan that their training to handle complex theological interpretations and beliefs of ethnic minorities was “shockingly dismal.”

The review is especially critical of Batley Grammar School’s handling of the situation, questioning the decision to suspend the teacher and two other Department members. While an internal investigation later cleared the teacher of wrongdoing, instead labelling the use of the image as ‘inappropriate’, Khan argued that protecting pupils from offence should not overshadow supporting the victim of harassment.

She suggested a more suitable response would have been to pause teaching the lesson pending the investigation.

Khan’s review identifies the harassment faced by the teacher as “freedom-restricting harassment,” which is causing individuals and institutions to self-censor and alter their lives.

She calls for the government to recognise victims of such harassment as equal to crime victims, proposing formal action plans to address these incidents.

Khan’s recommendations are expected to be backed by Michael Gove, the Levelling-Up Minister, and integrated into a broader social cohesion and counter-extremism plan.

Batley Grammar School has hit back at Dame Khan’s report – saying it does “not recognise” some of the details within the document.

Page last updated: Monday 25th March, 2024 at 1625 hours

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