A TEACHER is alleged to have compared UKIP to “the Nazis before the Holocaust” during a lesson.
Mike Dawson, who is a member of the party, took to Twitter to voice his disgust at the comments, said to have been made by an English teacher at Pingle School during a lesson where his son was present.
He complained to the school, in Swadlincote, and it launched an investigation.
The Coronation Street school has denied that any comparison was made between the anti-EU party and the Nazis, though the teacher has been warned to choose his words more carefully in the future.
Head teacher Viv Sharples said the Nazis were being discussed during the lesson in which UKIP was also a topic of conversation but that what was said had been ‘misconstrued’.
She said:: “It was a speaking and listening class and they were discussing how the Nazis used propaganda.
“UKIP was part of the same discussion but there was definitely not a direct comparison between the two.
“The parent was concerned and we apologised for any offence that was caused.”
Mrs Sharples said the matter had now been dealt with and that the complainant was ‘satisfied’ with the outcome.
She said: “Discussions can be broad ranging and I have explained to the member of staff when having discussions about politics, things can be misconstrued.
“We followed school procedure and have warned the member of staff to be careful in relation to the subject.”
Writing on Twitter earlier in the week, Mr Dawson, who stood for UKIP in Swadlincote South at last year’s county council elections, coming third with 582 votes, told his 2,059 followers: “My son’s English teacher at Pingle School, Swadlincote, compared UKIP to Nazis before Holocaust. “I feel his views are extreme and wrong”.
