icon bookmark-bicon bookmarkicon cameraicon checkicon chevron downicon chevron lefticon chevron righticon chevron upicon closeicon v-compressicon downloadicon editicon v-expandicon fbicon fileicon filtericon flag ruicon full chevron downicon full chevron lefticon full chevron righticon full chevron upicon gpicon insicon mailicon moveicon-musicicon mutedicon nomutedicon okicon v-pauseicon v-playicon searchicon shareicon sign inicon sign upicon stepbackicon stepforicon swipe downicon tagicon tagsicon tgicon trashicon twicon vkicon yticon wticon fm
20 May, 2019 16:51

‘Our equality laws protect us all’: Labour MP clashes with protester over LGBT+ teaching row (VIDEO)

‘Our equality laws protect us all’: Labour MP clashes with protester over LGBT+ teaching row (VIDEO)

A Labour MP has confronted an anti-LBGT+ activist who is protesting against inclusive education lessons at an English primary school. The politician says she’ll apply for an exclusion zone to “protect the 700 school children.”

Jess Phillips, MP for Birmingham Yardley, was involved in a feisty exchange with the protester outside the gates of Anderton Park school in Birmingham, West Midlands.

The row, which has seen protests by parents and their supporters rage on for over two months, is over the school’s ‘No Outsiders’ programme. The LGBT+ education programme aims to teach children about diversity of faith, ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation.

Protester Shakeel Afsar, coming face-to-face with Phillips, asked her: “How have you become so intolerant towards us?” The Birmingham politician denied she was intolerant, telling the man that he doesn’t get to “pick and choose which equality you can and can’t have.”

Also on rt.com Birmingham school to indefinitely suspend LGBT lessons for kids after parents’ anger

Asked why she hadn’t turned up to support the 300 parents who have been demonstrating over the inclusive initiative, Phillips retorted that she was “against the protests.”

Phillips said the worst thing about protests was that they had damaged “the reputation of a peaceful and loving community.” She warned that she will request “an exclusion area to protect the 700 children in this school.”

The situation has been simmering for several weeks with almost daily demos. Protesters claim they are not homophobic, or against LGBT rights, but insist that either their children are too young to learn about the issues or it goes against their beliefs.

Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!

Subscribe to RT newsletter to get stories the mainstream media won’t tell you.

Podcasts
0:00
24:55
0:00
28:50