The Reform UK leader Claims Educators of ‘Poisoning Our Kids’ on Racial Topics
Nigel Farage has asserted that teachers would go on strike within weeks a Reform UK election victory, charging that they are “harming young minds” by telling children that African-Caribbean youth are oppressed and Caucasian students are perpetrators.
At a gathering for a private US Christian college, Farage outlined his viewpoint on British schools, stating that the “radical left-wing” had “now in control of our education system”.
“I expect a walkout by educators soon after winning the next general election,” Farage commented in response to questions.
“They are poisoning our kids. They instruct children to be ashamed of their country. They are telling little Johnny, who’s eight, who is black that he is a victim and a white child of the same age that he is an oppressor. They are dividing us, not uniting us. They are feeding this harmful mindset.”
Reacting to Farage’s claims, Daniel Kebede rejected the notion that the schools were under Marxist influence as “nonsense”. He pointed out that industrial action must relate to teachers’ terms and conditions, and questioned whether Reform would attack these immediately upon entering government.
“The politician has crafted his public life on coded rhetoric and currently, like Trump, he is targeting educators and their organizations for a conflict,” Kebede stated.
“This is highly reckless. I don’t – and nor does my union – advocate such divisive theories as he’s suggesting … Should he become prime minister he would sell out our public services, particularly schooling … and he would be a disaster for education and children.”
The party, which is leading the polls by about 10 points, has not set out much detail on its educational plans and seems not to have designated an education lead.
Nonetheless, Farage’s remarks indicated the party would overhaul the system and the curriculum. Farage declared: “We face an enormous task with schooling – truly monumental. Moreover, it won’t happen quickly; it will take us years, years to turn this around.”
Farage expressed that gen Z was more open to critical thinking, but millennials were “absolutely hopeless”.
Honoring a conservative activist, Farage said: “All I want education to do to foster independent thought – to educate individuals that there are two points of view and they should decide for themselves rather than current practices where one is virtuous and one is evil. It’s a massive job in both Britain and America.”
Reform has previously clashed with a major educators’ organization, after the union leader labeled them “extremist and prejudiced” and dismissed Farage as “a cheap imitation”.
Farage has accused Kebede of being “a self-declared Marxist” … an individual intent that our children should be poisoned through education, their thinking tainted about everything to do with this country” and has argued that the union is trying to indoctrinate teenagers against Reform.
Almost one million people 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 students.
At the US event, Farage also pledged to help spread the digital courses of the Christian college in the UK. He stated organizations like it were “key to resistance”, noting: “I am serious. I’ll assist garner hundreds of thousands, if not millions of youth to these educational programs. I make that commitment tonight and I will follow through.”
The institution, a small private Christian college, offers free courses. According to its online description: “A scientific, literary, theological, political, and moral education is vital for well-being and to maintain the benefits of freedom. The college furnishes these excellent programs for free to all who wish to learn.”
