UK says schoolchildren shouldn’t wave Palestine flags. Ukraine flags are fine though

The British government has been accused of hypocrisy after saying pupils should not display Palestine flags in school, despite the government having promoted the displaying of Ukrainian flags in schools and made other political statements on Ukraine. On Wednesday Education Secretary Lucy Powell told Sky News: "I don't think that our schools should be a place where it's about making protests and statements about geopolitical events around the world." Powell was also asked whether pupils should be "allowed to display Palestinian flags" in schools. She replied: "That's not what we would expect in schools, that's not expected at all. Schools are a place to be impartial." Last November Powell's predecessor as education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, was filmed in a classroom with pupils waving the Ukrainian flag. The video was published online by the Department for Education to promote the "K-Ukraine schools partnership programme". New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters On 24 August 2024 the Department for Education released a statement saying: "On Ukrainian Independence Day we celebrate everything Ukraine is fighting to defend: democracy, sovereignty and the Ukrainian way of life." In March 2022 the Department for Education flew the Ukrainian flag. The then Conservative education secretary, Nadhim Zahawi, told a school leaders conference in Birmingham: "As we gather today, the Ukrainian flag flies over the Department for Education. It does so because we stand shoulder to shoulder with all Ukrainians against the barbaric, criminal invasion of their sovereign, democratic country." UK universities worked together to suppress pro-Palestine activism, report reveals Read More » On 19 October 2023, after the Hamas attack on Israel and the beginning of Israel's bombardment of Gaza, the Department for Education released a statement saying: "Following the barbaric terrorist attacks in Israel, we are writing to provide advice for schools and colleges. The UK unequivocally condemns these terrorist attacks and stands in solidarity with Israel in its hour of need." Responding to Powell's comments on X, political consultant Gary Spedding noted that "the Department of Education itself has promotional material in which school children are waving the Ukrainian flag". Journalist Barry Malone said : "I used to volunteer as a reading helper at a school in London. I saw Ukraine flags there. This policy has only come about because of one particular geopolitical event. People are smart enough to see through this stuff now." Numerous other X users accused the government of hypocrisy. Contentious IHRA definition to be imposed The education secretary was responding to a new report on antisemitism in British schools, which revealed that three in five Jewish pupils have experienced antisemitism in school. It claimed a serious surge in antisemitism in schools, with review author Sir David Bell urging schools to recognise antisemitism as a distinct category of harm. The government said it would accept the review’s findings in full. But the report has drawn criticism for recommending that schools be made to "consider the appropriateness" of political expressions or identifiers and to adopt the contentious International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, which has been widely criticised for allegedly being used to target criticism of Israel. Powell confirmed on Wednesday: "I'm going to be writing to all schools to get them to implement the IHRA definition of antisemitism." The National Education Union (NEU) has rejected some of the report's recommendations. IHRA definition used in UK schools antisemitism review, which could see Palestine badges banned Read More » Daniel Kebede, the NEU's general secretary, said: "Recommending the IHRA definition risks tightening the chilling grip already stifling classroom discussion of the Gaza genocide. "Schools need practical support to confront antisemitism, not a contested framework that risks shutting down legitimate discussion." He added: "This report will not tackle antisemitism. It wrongly calls into question the professionalism of teachers. "The existing rules on impartiality in the classroom are very clear and teachers take that responsibility very seriously." The IHRA definition of antisemitism was originally formulated in 2004 as a non-legally-binding tool to assist in monitoring antisemitism. Examples appended to it include "claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavour", which critics say can blur the line between antisemitism and political criticism of Israel. Its author, Kenneth Stern , has warned against its use as a disciplinary or legal instrument, arguing that it may risk restricting legitimate political expression. In 2018, rights expert Geoffrey Robertson QC issued a legal opinion stating that the definition is "likely in practice to chill free speech" by encouraging complaints against legitimate criticism of Israel. Reviews says teachers must be impartial Since Israel's genocide in Gaza began, there has been a reported rise in the number of schoolchildren referred to the Prevent counter-extremism programme for wearing pro-Palestine badges and stickers. The review's terms of reference said it used the IHRA definition. The review's author, Bell, said teachers need to be impartial on political issues so pupils can "debate topical and difficult issues without feeling that teachers are imposing their own views on students". The British government commissioned the antisemitism review after the Labour MP Damien Egan, vice-chair of pro-Israel group Labour Friends of Israel, had a visit to a school cancelled because of planned pro-Palestine protests outside. The school trust was widely accused of antisemitism because Egan is Jewish, but an independent inquiry found in April that there was "no evidence of antisemitism" within the trust. After the report on antisemitism in schools was published on Wednesday, Karen Newman, the vice-president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said: “The evidence gathered by Sir David Bell showing the scale of the challenges is sobering, and makes clear the need for a determined and consistent approach. “Treating antisemitism in schools as a safeguarding issue will have the benefit of creating an explicit duty on all schools to address this as they would any other threat to children’s safety, and will strengthen accountability.” Copyright © 2014 - 2026 . Middle East Eye. All rights reserved. Only England and Wales jurisdiction apply in all legal matters. Middle East Eye ISSN 2634-2456