My cousin was forced to remove her Easter Lily in school as it was "inappropriate"

Odhinn · 22-02-2019 11:02PM

Only the Poppy should be accpeted in school.

corner of hells wrote: »

Madness ? Always liked a bit of Ska myself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_srIE-YAb8

Midlife · 22-02-2019 11:17PM

Crock Rock wrote: »

As above. An absolute disgrace.
I'm 28 now, it's been 11 years since I left secondary school.

She's a 17 year old girl who is big into her Irish history and politics and, like me, dreams of a United Ireland. She's fuming at the situation.

Her uniform policy states

In my opinion, it's a very fair uniform policy which is quite clearly spelled out. Her Easter Lily is about 3 cm in length that she has been wearing for a couple of years and recently decided to get one to attach to her school jumper.

Here's the funny thing. Her English teacher demanded she remove it in her class as it's "offensive". What annoys me though, is that the same teacher wore and Armistice Poppy and so did one or two other students before and nothing was said to them by the same teacher. The poppies were even being old from the principal's office.

The teacher said that Easter Lily proceeds go to fund terrorists, my cousin said they don't, they fund the upkeep of patriots' graves... the teacher replied .. exactly, terrorists.

Jesus, so Kevin Barry, Michael Collins, and the people who fought for Irish freedom are terrorists?

The principal is backing the teacher up and saying that the Lily is indeed a symbol of terrorism and has no place in the school.

Partitionist west brits?

I doubt the truth of this story.

VeVeX · 22-02-2019 11:18PM

buried wrote: »

Go on, what is it so? Don't say new world order Illuminati $hite now

I have no idea what you're on about.

Do you think Europe, the continent is the same as the EU, a political and economic union?

buried · 22-02-2019 11:23PM

VeVeX wrote: »

I have no idea what you're on about.

Do you think Europe, the continent is the same as the EU, a political and economic union?

Yes. Yes I do. And its feickin brilliant. I'm fully bought in to being European thanks to the EU. I'm off to Italy next week, can get there with as less trouble and spending less money than going to some places than on me own island, and what with all this Brexit wollix, looks like I'll have less trouble getting to Syracuse than getting to Belfast in the next few months.

Whats the problem?

swarlb · 22-02-2019 11:28PM

Was her English teacher English ? Did her Irish teacher support the wearing of the said lily.... was it only the English teacher who objected.... what about the Geography teacher ?

Stephen15 · 22-02-2019 11:37PM

Only the Poppy should be accpeted in school.

VeVeX wrote: »

The EU is not Europe

Indeed the majority of Europe's landmass falls outside of the European Union

Stephen15 · 22-02-2019 11:40PM

Only the Poppy should be accpeted in school.

It's probably offensive to Muslims like everything these days

Patlanta · 22-02-2019 11:45PM

Let her wear the Easter Lily especially if others can wear the Poppy.

VeryTerry · 22-02-2019 11:45PM

Is it a Protestant school?

Spook_ie · 22-02-2019 11:58PM

Crock Rock wrote: »

I wear mine all year round. So does she.

She bought a second one to attach to her school jumper.

So it's not a symbol like the poppy then per se, but a political statement, if she wore it at Easter I wouldn't entertain there being a difference between Easter Lillie's and Poppies and support you wholeheartedly but, just for a minute, imagine the outrage you'd be expressing if pupils were wearing Poppies all year.

ligerdub · 23-02-2019 12:01AM

I'm going to assume the story is true for the sake of making a point.*

She should probably only wear the Lily around Easter time, otherwise it looks like she's just being unnecessarily provocative (I share the same opinion about the poppy). If the school are going to encourage the wearing of the poppy then they will have to suck it up with it comes to the Easter Lily.

They can't rip it from her uniform. This isn't North Korea. If that stuck up teacher asks her to remove it then just keep it on. Her reasoning for the removal is childish and weak. You can always just claim you find the poppy offensive. I mean you could pretty much decide everything is offensive if that's the yardstick.

If they don't like the non removal of the emblem what are they going to do? Suspend her? Expel her? I'm sure that would go down well in the newspapers, particularly as the school were encouraging other political tokens. They've set their own precendent.

*I have healthy scepticism of the story.

VeVeX · 23-02-2019 12:10AM

buried wrote: »

Yes. Yes I do. And its feickin brilliant. I'm fully bought in to being European thanks to the EU. I'm off to Italy next week, can get there with as less trouble and spending less money than going to some places than on me own island, and what with all this Brexit wollix, looks like I'll have less trouble getting to Syracuse than getting to Belfast in the next few months.

Whats the problem?

You do realise that prior to the EU you could have travelled to Italy?

Franz Von Peppercorn · 23-02-2019 12:10AM

Only the Poppy should be accpeted in school.

Ireland is a very strange place. I can’t imagine that a French symbol of independence would be removed in a French school while the teacher supported a German nationalist symbol. Utterly weird society.

Franz Von Peppercorn · 23-02-2019 12:11AM

Only the Poppy should be accpeted in school.

Stephen15 wrote: »

It's probably offensive to Muslims like everything these days

Muslims my arse. Why would they care about the poppy.

joeguevara · 23-02-2019 12:16AM

If this is true, which I have no reason to doubt, then she should stand her ground and refuse to take it off. She should also refuse to ,save the school as it is her constitutional right to education. Tell her to say if they want her removed she will have to be forcibly removed by the police. They can’t arrest a minor on school property who presents themselves for education they have a right to for wearing a symbol that espouses freedom. If she is arrested, then what a ride of a media fest it will be,

If she believes in the value of the symbol she wears then she should see it through to the end. If not then it’s probably better off she not wear it and go to double maths.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock · 23-02-2019 12:20AM

Ya see THIS is what happens when you educate children.

You were warned...

buried · 23-02-2019 12:23AM

VeVeX wrote: »

You do realise that prior to the EU you could have travelled to Italy?

Yeah but now its pure handy though ain't it? Can get through customs like a slice of salami going back home. Got the same money as them and everything. Lovely EU funded apps like Babbel what help me learn the language. Its feicking brilliant. Your not telling me the problems YOU have with it though V, what are they?

23-02-2019 12:23AM

Stephen15 wrote: »

It's probably offensive to Muslims like everything these days

It's offensive to anyone that doesn't support terrorism

joeguevara · 23-02-2019 12:26AM

bubblypop wrote: »

It's offensive to anyone that doesn't support terrorism

Don’t let this go down a terrorism versus freedom fighter thread. Plenty of them. Lily can be used by everyone for a symbol of peace, people who died fighting for independence and yes terrorists. But that’s not what the thread is about.

corner of hells · 23-02-2019 12:27AM

joeguevara wrote: »

If this is true, which I have no reason to doubt, then she should stand her ground and refuse to take it off. She should also refuse to ,save the school as it is her constitutional right to education. Tell her to say if they want her removed she will have to be forcibly removed by the police. They can’t arrest a minor on school property who presents themselves for education they have a right to for wearing a symbol that espouses freedom. If she is arrested, then what a ride of a media fest it will be,

If she believes in the value of the symbol she wears then she should see it through to the end. If not then it’s probably better off she not wear it and go to double maths.

I always thought you went to school to be educated and not use it as a platform to express your beliefs.

timthumbni · 23-02-2019 12:28AM

Neither should be accepted in school.

I know the shops have had Easter eggs this last week already. Despite the fact we are just 8 days past International extortion of man day. I blame the shops.

corner of hells · 23-02-2019 12:28AM

Princess Consuela Bananahammock wrote: »

Ya see THIS is what happens when you educate children.

You were warned...

Damn teachers at it again

23-02-2019 12:30AM

joeguevara wrote: »

Don’t let this go down a terrorism versus freedom fighter thread. Plenty of them. Lily can be used by everyone for a symbol of peace, people who died fighting for independence and yes terrorists. But that’s not what the thread is about.

Where does the money go?

threetrees · 23-02-2019 12:33AM

Have you copied and pasted the policy? If so I'd be more concerned about typos and spelling mistakes than a Lily policy.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock · 23-02-2019 12:37AM

corner of hells wrote: »

I always thought you went to school to be educated and not use it as a platform to express your beliefs.

That's a bit like saying you though people went to bars to drink, not too use them as platforms for social interaction...

dalalada · 23-02-2019 12:38AM

Only the Poppy should be accpeted in school.

What's the name of the school?

timthumbni · 23-02-2019 12:39AM

Neither should be accepted in school.

dalalada wrote: »

What's the name of the school?

Oliver Cromwell Grammar School

Franz Von Peppercorn · 23-02-2019 12:43AM

Only the Poppy should be accpeted in school.

buried wrote: »

Yeah but now its pure handy though ain't it? Can get through customs like a slice of salami going back home. Got the same money as them and everything. Lovely EU funded apps like Babbel what help me learn the language. Its feicking brilliant. Your not telling me the problems YOU have with it though V, what are they?

What’s this got to do with the lilly?

dalalada · 23-02-2019 12:43AM

Only the Poppy should be accpeted in school.

This is a disgrace. Principal even worse to be selling poppy from his office. Public servants is what they are. that child's parents pay the teachers and principals wages. Why doesn't he sell the Lily from his office? Love to ask that teacher to produce the school policy on paper where it says no Lily allowed and poppy allowed! Freedom of beliefs one of the most basic human rights being degraded by a teacher!! Disgrace. go to the news media with this story op.

dalalada · 23-02-2019 12:49AM

Only the Poppy should be accpeted in school.

By the way OP I am a secondary teacher myself and I can tell you I wear the Lily every easter at work and I've wore it when working in the UK for Easter too. I don't care what a school written policy says as it never overcomes my human rights of expression and beliefs or my pride in my history.

My cousin was forced to remove her Easter Lily in school as it was "inappropriate"

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