Sacked Preston College teacher being backed by group that opposes homosexuality
PLUS: The level of savings needed at County Hall set out in new report
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The case of Simon Pearson has made national headlines this week after the Christian group offering legal support published a press release highlighting their version of events.
In it, they said the ‘well-liked’ Preston College teacher was dismissed and that it highlights the ‘weaponised use’ of the term Islamophobia.
The chief executive of Christian Legal Centre said that they stand firmly behind the teacher and his right to freedom of expression.
But such freedoms should not extend to all elements of people’s lives, according to the published beliefs of Christian Concern, to which Christian Legal Centre belongs.
They believe in strong terms that the beliefs set out in the Bible and how they have interpreted them should be followed - making homosexuality (among other things) a sin.
In today’s edition we’ve looked at Simon Pearson’s case, but also the group who have committed to defending him and played a part in bringing his sacking to the attention of the public.
Group backing sacked college teacher opposes homosexuality, sex outside of marriage and transgenderism
By Luke Beardsworth
A sacked Preston College teacher is being backed by an evangelical Christian group that opposes homosexuality, sex outside of marriage and transgenderism, The Lancashire Lead can reveal.
Simon Pearson, 56, had taught at the college for two decades and a release by the Christian Legal Centre group alleges that he had ‘a 20-year unblemished record’.
He made the comments on YouTube following the CCTV footage of the attack on police officers at Manchester Airport in July last year and also in response to a Facebook post about the Southport killings with Pearson stating there was a ‘two-tier policy’ when it came to policing.
Complaints from fellow staff at Preston College triggered an investigation at the end of which Pearson was dismissed.
The college told Blog Preston: “Upon receipt of complaints from a number of our staff, an internal investigation was undertaken into whether some of Mr Pearson’s social media posts were a breach of the College’s Staff Behaviour Code and Values. Following an investigation and subsequent disciplinary process, Mr Pearson was dismissed from his employment at the College.”
But Pearson believes he has been vindicated by the convictions after the Manchester Airport incident. In his initial post he said that the police deserve a medal and referred to the two men as ‘savages’. An IOPC investigation into the behaviour of the officers has not yet concluded.
His post in relation to the Southport attacks said that people’s response was wrong but understandable due to various ‘Islamist plots and crimes’.
He asked where the jail sentence was for a Labour MP calling for people to have their throats slit, in apparent reference to the councillor Ricky Jones who was charged and is expected to stand trial in 2025.
Pearson himself said: “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. I was upset by the CCTV footage, especially the attacks on the female officers. 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.
“The CCTV footage and the convictions this week vindicate my position.
“I cannot allow what has happened to me to go unchallenged. It is a grave injustice that should concern everybody who cares about freedom. I am determined to fight for justice and for the freedom to raise legitimate concerns in public and private as part of national debates on extremely serious issues that impact us all.”
The release from the Christian Legal alleges that Pearson had apologised and pointed to evidence of support for Muslim students, asylum seekers and international communities, although that evidence was not published.
Legal action has been filed in the form of an employment tribunal.
Who are Christian Legal Centre?
Christian Legal Centre is a group that has acted in a number of high-profile cases on behalf of people with strong Christian views in the UK.
One high profile case saw them support a nurse, Shirley Chaplin, who attempted to sue the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Trust after she was moved to a desk job in response to a refusal to remove a cross necklace. The hospital claimed she was asked to do so for health and safety reasons as there is a risk patients can grab it. A tribunal ruled the trust had acted responsibly.
Another saw them represent teacher Joshua Sutcliffe who was fired from two schools for misgendering a transgender boy and for comments made about Islam on YouTube. He would blame his dismissal on the “LGBT+ mafia” and “Islamic mafia”. He ultimately reached an undisclosed settlement with the school.
And a senior judge expressed his concern about their involvement in a case where life support was withdrawn from seriously ill 23-month-old Alfie Evans after it was concluded there was little chance of treatment. The judge accused the activists of doing the parents “far more harm than it does them good” and described their submissions of being “littered with vituperation and bile.”
The website of Christian Concern, which acts through Christian Legal Centre to ‘provide support to Christians who are unashamed of Jesus’, proudly declares that they have adopted the Nashville Statement.
This is a framework wherein homosexual marriage and acts, transgenderism, and sex outside of marriage are condemned as sinful. The framework was authored in Nashville, Tennessee in 2017 but was criticised by various Christian religious figures.
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