from The Telegraph
Simon Pearson dismissed after internal investigation found his online posts had the potential to bring Preston College into disrepute
A teacher was sacked after saying Lucy Connolly’s prison sentence was an example of “two-tier policing”.
In a post on social media, Simon Pearson, 56, who teaches at Preston College said Connolly’s online comments were “obviously wrong” but she “should not have been jailed”.
But he was dismissed after an internal investigation, prompted by a complaint from a Muslim representative of the National Education Union (NEU) at the college, found his online posts had the potential to bring it into disrepute.
Mr Pearson told The Telegraph: “I am appalled by the way I’ve been treated. I’ve dedicated my life to education and to supporting students from all walks of life.
“Yet as soon as I was branded ‘Islamophobic’ for expressing concern about violent crime, I became a marked man. It was clear that I had to be found guilty by the college, it became a witch hunt, and I had to be eliminated no matter what.”