Delegates at the Green Party conference passed an emergency motion on Saturday in support of a trade unionist who was sacked for writing “racist” on a poster for the government’s Prevent programme.
David Muritu, a college lecturer and member of the Universities and College Union, was sacked by Sandwell College this week after defacing the poster because he felt the Prevent scheme – which requires teachers to report students who show signs of being drawn into extremism – unfairly targeted Muslims (1).
Green Party member Samir Jeraj, who moved the motion, said:
“We completely oppose trade union victimisation and call on Sandwell College to reverse their decision.
“Prevent is a racist endeavour and we stand in solidarity with Dave in calling this out.”
The Green Party conference motion called for Mr Muritu’s immediate reinstatement.
Co-leader Sian Berry said: “The Green Party has since its inception been expressing concerns about Prevent.
“In its current form it disproportionately targets Muslim communities.
“We should instead pursue community-led collaborative approaches to tackling all forms of extremism.”
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