Reform chief’s outrage after schools compare the party to Nazis in lessons on extremism… and tell pupils to rely on ‘trusted sites like the BBC and Guardian’ instead of the Mail
Reform UK has called for an investigation after a group of leading state school teachers made ‘inappropriate and defamatory’ comparisons between the party and the Nazis.
Reform’s deputy leader, Richard Tice, lodged the complaint after discovering staff at the Orion group, which runs eight academy schools in south London, had used an image of him in teaching materials to illustrate ‘extremism’, described as activities that ‘reject British Values’.
The materials also placed Reform to the right of Ukip and alongside the BNP and Nazis at the ‘fascism’ end of an illustration of the Left/Right spectrum of political beliefs.
Secondary school classes were for students in Grade 10.
Nigel Farage’s party, which is leading in opinion polls, has growing reports of left-wing teachers calling Reform supporters ‘fascists’ in classrooms across the country.
Mr Tice, who had been warned about the slide shows by parents of pupils at the school, wrote to Orion Education Chief Executive Simon Garrill to warn him that if he did not receive ‘an adequate explanation and a satisfactory apology’ he would refer the matter to the Charity Commission, whose rules apply to academy trusts.
Mr Tice wrote: ‘It has come to my attention that material referring to ‘extremism’ and the ‘far right’ includes my face and even compares me and Reform UK to the Nazi Party and the British National Party.
‘This is not only factually incorrect and grossly offensive, but also inherently defamatory.’
Richard Tice, vice-chairman of Reform, lodged the complaint after discovering staff at the Orion group, which runs eight academy schools in south London, had used an image of him in teaching materials to illustrate ‘extremism’.
Mr Tice wrote to Orion Education Chief Executive Simon Garrill to warn him that if he did not receive ‘an adequate explanation and a satisfactory apology’ he would refer the matter to the Charity Commission, whose rules apply to academy trusts.
The materials also placed Reform to the right of Ukip and alongside the BNP and Nazis at the ‘fascism’ end of an illustration of the Left/Right spectrum of political beliefs.
He added: ‘These materials, in my opinion and those of my legal team, breach educational guidelines and your obligations as a registered charity to maintain political neutrality and balance.
‘Presenting such provocative and misleading content to young people is a serious dereliction of duty and professional responsibility.’
The ‘extremism’ section next to Mr Tice’s picture defines it as ‘activities that reject British Values such as mutual respect, are completely intolerant of others, reject democracy as a means of government or reject the existing social order’.
Alongside this, he describes Reform UK as ‘a right-wing political party that is growing in popularity, calling for stricter immigration, deportation of illegal immigrants, tax cuts, anti-EU regulations, UK sovereignty and traditional education policies’.
After saying ‘Far Right beliefs can harm communities, increase hate crimes and even threaten democracy’, the lectures describe ‘the role of the media’ as ‘one of the key concerns’ and state: ‘Newspapers such as the Daily Mail and The Sun often run dramatic headlines about immigration, particularly about “small boat crossings” in the English Channel.
‘These stories sometimes use words like ‘flood’ or ‘invasion’, making immigrants seem like a threat.
‘This type of reporting can cause people to be afraid or angry; Far-right groups also use it to support their own arguments.’
‘How can we stay safe online?’ In the section titled: ‘Use reliable sites such as the BBC and the Guardian, rather than sites such as The Sun, random blogs or YouTube channels.’
Teaching materials also include ‘the opportunity to hear from our local Labor MP about his role and policies in Parliament’; but emphasizes that ‘it is important to remember that Labor is just one political party with certain views’.
An Orion spokesman said: ‘We have received the letter from Mr Tice and are currently investigating the concerns he raised.’
The Orion group consists of five primary schools and three secondary schools.
