Retired teacher brands education union a 'hostile environment' for Jews after ... trends now
The UK's biggest education union has been branded a 'hostile environment' for Jews after a retired teacher was heckled for challenging an anti-Israel motion.
Members of the National Education Union (NEU) agreed to blame Israel for the war in Gaza and publish 'educational resources' about the conflict following the union's annual conference in Bournemouth on Thursday.
The motion also called on the NEU to 'increase understanding of Palestine and Israel' and reaffirm its support for the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC).
It accused Israel's government of being 'racist' and the 'main driver' of the conflict, violence and war. The ongoing war in Gaza was sparked by Hamas's deadly terror attack on October 7 which killed 1,200 people and saw militants seize about 250 hostages from Israel.
Peter Block, from Barnet, in north west London , who opposed the motion, said he was heckled after he likened the conference to 'an anti-Zionist rally'.
The motion on Palestine was carried at the NEU's conference in Bournemouth on Thursday
Peter Block was constantly interrupted by a rowdy audience when he tried to give a speech at the NEU's annual conference
The 75-year-old accused fellow delegates of uncritically jumping on the anti-Israel bandwagon and said it amounted it to 'a glorification of Hamas'.
After he was heckled, he told members: 'We are still a democracy in this country, as is Israel'.
Speaking to journalists at the conference, Mr Block said: 'The NEU is a hostile environment for Jewish members, particularly any who have any affiliation or sympathy for Israel.'
The teacher also said after his speech: 'I had a lot more to say but they [other delegates] stopped me saying it.'
He went on to say that his wife had tried to stop him from speaking but he wanted to do it to make sure the motion didn't 'go unanswered'.
He added: 'It needs to be answered. It needs to be made public. People need to be made aware of what is going on with the union and what they want to do is to infect young teachers with it, so that it's brought into schools, which I've already seen happen. It's so dangerous.'
Asked if he knew Jewish teachers who felt intimidated by the NEU, he said: 'Yes, and a lot have left the union, because they can see the way it is going.'
Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the NEU (Pictured in March at Trafalgar Square)
Delegate John Connolly, from Blackpool, who spoke against the motion, said it would be a 'mistake' to back it as it would 'lessen' the union's voice.
He said: 'By choosing to ignore the Hamas attack in October, we reduce our ability to criticise Israel's disproportionate response.
'By choosing to label Israeli government as racist and applying apartheid policies, we reduce our ability to be seen as a fair and reasonable organisation.'
Last week, Education Secretary Gillian Keegan criticised the union's motion on Palestine, calling it 'wholly inappropriate' and she warned it would cause 'significant hurt to members of the Jewish community'.
She added that teachers have 'a duty to remain politically impartial and to ensure all sides of contested views are presented fairly' and without bias.
But other delegates at the conference hit back at Ms
