Damien Egan is a Jewish MP for the Labour Party. He was due to visit Bristol Brunel Academy, which is in his constituency, where Mr Egan was elected by voters and for whom he represents in Parliament. But his visit was shockingly cancelled “in case his presence inflames the teachers”.
Egan is the vice-chair of the Labour Friends of Israel group in Parliament, and was due to speak to students about democracy and what it is like to be an MP. It is understood that the visit was cancelled following pressure from the National Education Union’s staff group and Palestine Solidarity Campaign, and some staff threatened to wear keffiyehs to school on the day.
CUFI can reveal that in 2025, delegates at the National Education Union (NEU) annual conference voted to support “the call from Palestinian civil society for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS)”. BDS is a global campaign that includes boycotting Israeli institutions, goods, and cultural/tourist engagement as a form of protest against the Israeli government’s policies. This went beyond earlier positions on boycotting goods from what it described as “illegal settlements.” The NEU is the largest education union in the UK, representing almost 500,000 teachers and other educational professionals.
The Prime Minister said on Wednesday that all MPs “should be able to visit anywhere in their constituency, schools or other places, without fear of antisemitism”.
In a latest development, According to The Times, Saima Akhtar, the diversity and inclusion leader at Cabot Learning Federation (CLF) which runs the school, showed praise for Hamas over the attacks on October 7, 2023.
According to The Times, the day after the attacks, Ms Akhtar wrote a post to Facebook which said “Palestine is fighting back” against an “apartheid” carried out by Israel, labelling it a “a war against their oppressors”.
Communities Secretary Steve Reed revealed on Sunday that a Jewish colleague, in reference to Mr Egan, was banned in case his presence “inflames” teachers, branding the move “an absolute outrage.”
“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,” he told Jewish News.
He added: “They 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. You just can’t have it.”
Cabot Learning Federation (CLF) strongly denied reports the visit was cancelled due to concerns about his involvement with the Labour Friends of Israel.
Since the news broke, Ofsted announced the school would be receiving an immediate inspection.
Ofsted chief inspector Sir Martyn Oliver said in a statement: “I was concerned to learn that a school may have been intimidated into cancelling a visit from their local MP.
“I am troubled by the message this sends to children – especially children from the Jewish community. Those of us privileged enough to be working in education have a professional and moral duty to stand against discrimination.”
After considering the evidence, inspectors concluded an inspection was warranted and were at the school on Thursday, Sir Martyn said.
It is unacceptable that a Jewish MP should be banned from visiting a school. What message does this decision send to children about Jewish members of Parliament? What does it say about freedom of belief (bearing in mind the MP was not even attending to speak about Israel).
But it is also a worrying sign of the infiltration of antisemitic views that have impacted the education sector and how influential the pro-Palestinian lobby has been. It is also a red flag that should be a warning to Christian and Jewish parents – what is your child being taught about Israel? How is the Israel-Palestinian conflict being explained? Are Christian and Jewish students able to express their pro-Israel views safely?
We need to pray for our schools, and for the battle for the hearts and minds of our young people.
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Our young people are exposed to a hatred for Israel and the Jewish people from many directions. At CUFI UK, we are passionate about training and equipping the next generation of advocates for Israel. This is why we have launched CUFI Academy.
CUFI Academy has been launched to prepare the next generation with the tools to stand with Israel, whether it be in their professional careers, in their churches, or in their homes. We are living in a society that is becoming increasingly hostile towards Israel. Antisemitism is on the rise; social media is flooded with anti-Israel propaganda, and college and university campuses are challenging environments for Christians and Jews who love Israel.
CUFI Academy aims to reach the next generation with the truth about Israel. Our desire is to raise up future leaders who develop a passion for Israel and become effective advocates for truth in whatever vocations they pursue.
For more information about the courses we provide, please go to http://www.cufi.org.uk/academy or to donate to support this endeavour, please go to http://www.cufi.org.uk/academydonate
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