Nigel Farage Accuses Teachers of ‘Poisoning Our Kids’ on Racial Topics
Nigel Farage has asserted that educators would initiate walkouts within weeks a Reform UK election victory, accusing them of “poisoning our kids” by telling students that African-Caribbean youth are oppressed and white children oppressors.
At a gathering for a private US Christian college, the politician expressed his viewpoint on the UK education system, claiming that the “Marxist left” had “taken over schooling”.
“I expect a teachers’ strike very quickly after securing a victory,” Farage commented during a Q&A session.
“They are poisoning our kids. They instruct children to feel guilt about their nation. They are telling an eight-year-old black child that he is a victim and little Oliver, who is white, who is eight that he is a perpetrator. They are dividing us, not uniting us. They promote this harmful mindset.”
Reacting to these assertions, Daniel Kebede rejected the notion that the schools were under Marxist influence as “nonsense”. Kebede noted that any strikes must relate to teachers’ terms and conditions, and doubted whether the party would target these immediately upon entering government.
“Farage has built his public life on coded rhetoric and currently, like Trump, he is targeting educators and their organizations for a conflict,” Kebede stated.
“I think that’s grossly irresponsible. I don’t – and nor does my union – advocate such divisive theories as he’s suggesting … Should he become prime minister he would undermine state services, including education … and he would be a disaster for students and learning.”
Reform, which tops surveys by about 10 points, has provided limited specifics on its educational plans and does not appear to have appointed an education spokesperson.
Nonetheless, Farage’s remarks indicated the group would reform the system and the curriculum. He said: “We have got a massive job with schooling – truly monumental. And, it won’t happen quickly; it requires years, a long-term effort to reform.”
He stated that younger generations are receptive to critical thinking, but millennials were “absolutely hopeless”.
Paying tribute to a conservative activist, he commented: “All I want education to do to teach critical thinking – to instruct people that there are two points of view and you make up your own mind rather than current practices where views are labeled good or bad. It’s a massive job in both Britain and America.”
The party has conflicted with a major educators’ organization, after the union leader labeled them “far right and racist” and described the leader as “a cheap imitation”.
The politician has charged the union head with being “a self-declared Marxist” … an individual intent that our children should be poisoned at school, their minds should be poisoned regarding national issues” and has argued that the union is trying to indoctrinate teenagers against Reform.
Roughly a million individuals work in schools in the UK, about half of whom are teachers and the others teaching assistants and support staff. The major education union has hundreds of thousands of members.
Countrywide walkouts over educators’ salaries and work environment in recent years caused widespread disruption in educational institutions and millions of days of lost learning for children.
At the US event, the Reform leader also pledged to help spread the online educational material of the Christian college in the UK. He stated organizations like it were “key to resistance”, noting: “I am serious. I’ll assist attract vast numbers of youth to your online courses. I pledge this tonight and I’ll do that.”
The college, a religious educational establishment, offers free courses. Its website states: “A scientific, literary, theological, political, and moral education is vital for well-being and to maintain the benefits of freedom. It offers these excellent programs for free to all who wish to learn.”