A TEACHER and Labour councillor has claimed kids need their “Marxist” teachers to stop them being brainwashed by “far-right propaganda” with their parents at home.
Julie Reid sparked fury after insisting most teachers are “lefty Marxists” and warned students are being exposed to alternative views while at home.
The Manchester councillor made the controversial remarks in an online discussion hosted by the left-wing activist group ‘People Before Profit’ on Saturday.
She said: “I’m also very worried about children who are stuck in households where they’re hearing far-right propaganda being relayed at them daily.
“They’re not hearing the teacher’s voices that they would normally
hear in the classroom.
“Most of us teachers, are you know as Michael Gove would call us, you
know, lefty Marxists.
“No, we’re not lefty Marxists, but we clearly are preaching, you know
in the classroom daily, not Michael Gove’s British values, depends
what you mean by British values, doesn’t it?”
The event included trade union organisers, Labour MP Claudia Webbe and the former shadow Chancellor John McDonnell.
Representing Gorton and Abbey Hey ward, Ms Reid went on to say she is worried that pupils are not being taught “about treating each other with respect and about equality”.
Bury South MP Christian Wakeford MP labelled her comments an “insult” to parents.
He told HOAR: “The suggestion that any parent who doesn’t hold the “lefty” views of Ms Reid must be “far right” will be incredibly insulting to families who have worked hard to teach their kids from home during this crisis.”
The Education Act of 1996 forbids “the promotion of partisan
political views in the teaching of any subject in the school”.
Also, present on the call was NEU trade unionist and teacher Kiri
Tunks, who called for the “decolonization of the curriculum” and “for
anti-racist training for teachers”.
It’s not the first time Ms Reid has made controversial comments.
She previously fell foul of her town hall’s ban on dog roaming- only to insist it was because the pup had Alzheimer’s.
She was hit with £50 fine after a town hall officer spotted the 12-year-old Holly roaming off the lead near her home.
Councillor Reid explained the elderly pet had Alzheimer’s and was confused after being let into the garden.
She also appears to have a made a history of anti-Semitic posts on Facebook, sharing a number of deeply offensive articles.
These included pieces claiming Israel was testing chemical weapons on Gaza protesters, and conspiracy theories about the Rothschild family.
Speaking at the time, Labour MP Charlotte Nichols labelled them “disappointing”.
She said: “There’s no excuse for Labour members repeatedly sharing blatant antisemitic tropes like these, some of which are very recent.”
Ms Reid and the Labour Party did not respond to requests for comment.
