A teacher in Ireland, Enoch Burke, has been in legal trouble since he refused to recognize a male student in his school who changed his gender to a girl and wished to be referred to by the pronouns she/they.
His strong religious belief led him to be arrested by the Garda – the Irish police and jailed three times In total, he has spent about 400 days behind bars. He spent 100 days in prison after he was first imprisoned in September 2022, was jailed the second time in September 2023, and was released in June this year.
He was first sacked by Wilson’s Hospital School in County Westmeath for refusing to call a transitioning pupil by the new pronoun following an order from the school’s management. However, Burke is challenging the “wrongful dismissal” in court even as the school still continues to pay his salary pending the conclusion of his appeal.
He was barred by the court from appearing on the school’s premises – an act he refused to comply with This culminated in Justice Michael Quinn jailing him for the third time for contempt of court, after he refused to give a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer when asked if he would return to Westmeath school again.
‘You will answer to God for imprisoning me for my religious beliefs’, Burke replied to the Judge after the order was passed on him.
The judge said Enoch Burke, who taught History and German in the school, was being imprisoned for disturbing the daily activities in the school, and it was very important that his continual presence in the school be addressed.
Watch the video of his recent arrest below:
Burke’s side protested that the court did not want to address the wrongful suspension of the former teacher by the then-sitting principal of Wilson’s school Niamh McShane, who held that Burke was responsible for gross misconduct for refusing to call a transitioning male pupil by the new pronoun.
However, this was held by Judge Owens who determined that Burke was liable for ‘harmful and disruptive conduct’, citing instances where he challenged the principal during a staff meeting, a chapel service, and at a dinner.
Burke insists he is being persecuted because he was a Christian who was holding strong to his Christian values. “This court is simply denying me my religious beliefs, and my right to my religious beliefs. I am a Christian. I have Christian beliefs. My belief is male and female, God made them male and female”, he said.
He lamented that children were being deceived into taking puberty blockers which would leave them “scarred for life”, referring to it as a “hellish ideology”, which teachers in schools are now being forced to uphold.
“I did not force my beliefs on anyone,’ he said. ‘That belief was forced on me. I was commanded to feed that poison to young people in my care”, he said.
Burke currently owes €88,000 due to fines incurred for breaking the court’s restraining order on him around the school.
