The diversity and inclusion lead for a secondary school that called off a visit from a Jewish MP suggested Hamas terrorists acted as “heroes” in the October 7 attacks.
Labour MP Damien Egan was due to attend Brunel Academy in his Bristol North East constituency in September, but the visit was cancelled following pressure from pro-Palestine campaigners and union members.
The activists cited what they termed “safeguarding concerns” and highlighted the MP’s role as vice chair of Labour Friends of Israel.
Speaking at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Sir Keir Starmer said the case was “very serious, very concerning”.
He added that all MPs “should be able to visit anywhere in their constituency, schools or other places, without fear of antisemitism”.
It has now been revealed that 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.
Hamas terrorists killed some 1,200 people and abducted 251 others in an assault on Israel in the atrocious attacks.
Ms Akhtar is the diversity and inclusion lead at CLF which runs Bristol Brunel Academy
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Saima Akhtar, an inclusion and diversity co-ordinator
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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”.
“This is an oppressed people standing up and fighting back,” she added.
“Just imagine if this was Ukraine attacking Russia? Heroes fighting for justice and their right to exist. Palestinians are no different. #FreePalestine.”
In her LinkedIn bio, Ms Akhtar says her approach to her work is “intersectional, trauma-informed and unapologetically anti-racist, with a strong commitment to trans rights, LGBTQ+ inclusion, and global solidarity, including support for Palestinian human rights”.
Labour MP Damien Egan was due to attend the school in September but the visit was called off following pressure from pro-Palestine campaigners
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GETTYA spokesman for the CLF said: “We were made aware of these posts yesterday evening and immediately launched a full and comprehensive investigation.
“The promotion of inclusion and rejection of discrimination are enshrined in the CLF’s core values, and all staff are expected to embody these values in their behaviour, both inside and outside of school.
“We have also commissioned an external review of our existing training and development for staff, to further raise awareness of discrimination of any kind, including race, religion or ethnic origin.”
The spokesman added that the federation takes “responsibilities to educate young people about British values extremely seriously”, referencing Mr Egan’s scheduled visit to the school.
“While we took the decision to postpone the visit due to concerns about student safety and the disruption to their education from the planned protest, a date for the rescheduled visit had already been confirmed by Mr Egan’s office,” the spokesman said.
“This was long before any of the most recent concerns were raised.”