Students sent home for celebrating St George's day

[Deep Sea Isopod]

http://www.birminghammail.net/news/birm ... -26306335/

PUPILS at a Birmingham school were sent home after defying a school order not to paint their faces as they celebrated St George’s Day.

Melissa Jaynes, aged 16, was one of eight Year 15 pupils sent home from Baverstock School, Druids Heath, after defiantly refusing to remove the English flags from their faces.

“We just want to celebrate our country,” she insisted. “We were wearing this stuff when we came in and they didn’t see us.

“When they noticed they picked us out and told us if we didn’t wipe it off then we would be sent home.............................



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But she claimed that children had been encouraged to paint their faces when the school had celebrated South Africa Day several years ago.

I have noticed a lack of interest in St George's day this year. I guess people are too afraid in case they offend someone.

[Meekychuppet]

Are you trolling?

Anyone with functioning faculties can see that they were told not to paint their faces. It could have been anything they were celebrating.

Thread over. Thanks for coming, goodnight.

[Deep Sea Isopod]

It's not the matter of sending them home for not doing as they were told, that concerns me here. It's the fact that the BNP will very quickly pick up on issues like this to further their cause.

I don't have a problem with schools celebrating Africa day and painting their faces. It brings awareness to the kids of issues in Africa. That's a good thing, but why the need to tell them not to paint their faces on St Georges day? All it does is bring about feelings of inequality and fuels racism.
We are constantly reading of stories like this, and the BNP now have 2 MEP's in Europe because of it.

[Horwood Beer-Master]

...I have noticed a lack of interest in St George's day this year...

I have noticed a few good beer offers...

[JenTirydail]

I live in the West Midlands and I know of that school. I actually felt there was a lot more interest in St George's Day from the schools this year, at least in my area. My eldest daughter who's in secondary school had a class discussion about it and my younger girls in primary school had an assembly about it. It does rather sound like the pupils in question are using it as an excuse for doing something they were told they weren't allowed to do

[Meekychuppet]

If the BNP jump on this that is fine by me. Since we cannot get rid of them I am happy to have them be the party who whines about St George's Day. If you want to keep the BNP in check the answer is not to restrict them, it is by liberating the minds of children through education.

[Half Cut]

Sounds to me like a bunch of kids trying to provoke a reaction and it would seem that they have.

I’ve never felt particularly English and have always thought of myself as British so don’t really get all this fuss between the different nations that seems to be floating about at the moment.

The BNP have tried to hijack St Georges day for their own, completely ignoring that St George, if he existed at all, was not English and they would have not wanted him in the country.

If the English want an England day, why not celebrate an English person. As it happens today marks the birth of a great English writer, so why don’t we dump the catholic St Georges day on 23rd of April and instead have a Shakespeare day on 26th of April.

[Deep Sea Isopod]

If the BNP jump on this that is fine by me. Since we cannot get rid of them I am happy to have them be the party who whines about St George's Day. If you want to keep the BNP in check the answer is not to restrict them, it is by liberating the minds of children through education.

And the best way of eductating kids is to turn the subject into a fun game. The fascist lobby will be telling these kids how the current regime is restricting their rights and to support the movement for a regime change.
Look how much of a fuss was (and still is) being made over the "winterval" issue. We know it wasn't a ban on Christmas, but a festival for all over the winter period, but the fascists still use it as propoganda. And people take it all in!
To keep the BNP in check is not to give them ammunition.

Sounds to me like a bunch of kids trying to provoke a reaction and it would seem that they have.

I’ve never felt particularly English and have always thought of myself as British so don’t really get all this fuss between the different nations that seems to be floating about at the moment.

The BNP have tried to hijack St Georges day for their own, completely ignoring that St George, if he existed at all, was not English and they would have not wanted him in the country.

If the English want an England day, why not celebrate an English person. As it happens today marks the birth of a great English writer, so why don’t we dump the catholic St Georges day on 23rd of April and instead have a Shakespeare day on 26th of April.

Or a St Edmund day on the 20th November. King Edmund was the last King of East Anglia. Where did they Bury St Edmund?