Teacher banned from classroom after Facebook post saying Hitler ‘was right’
A TEACHER who posted a picture of Adolf Hitler on Facebook with the words “you were right” has been banned from working in any school in England.
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Mahmudul Choudhury, 35, was reported to police after a Jewish student spotted his approval of the anti-semitic message on the social network site.
The image of Hitler appears with the words: “Yes man, you were right... I could have killed all the Jews, but I left some of them to let you know why I was killing them.”
Choudhury reposted the image on July 11 last year with the comment: “Yes now we could see why ProtectiveEdge” - referring to the 2014 Israel-Gaza conflict.
He was fined £465 in February after admitting the racially aggravated use of threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour.
Earlier this month a panel at the National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) announced it was banning Choudhury from teaching indefinitely in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children's home in England.
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Paul Heathcote, for the NCTL, said: “The panel has taken into consideration Mr Choudhury's account that he had been fasting for at least 17 hours a day when the Facebook post was uploaded, but noted that as well as posting an image, Mr Choudhury added a comment to the image, which required a conscious effort on the part of Mr Choudhury.
“Moreover, the comment indicated Mr Choudhury's agreement with the sentiment of the image and thereby exacerbated the offensive nature of the post.
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“The panel has found Mr Choudhury's actions to be deliberate and there is no evidence to suggest he was acting under duress.
“Mr Choudhury has been convicted of a racially aggravated offence and the panel has recommended that a prohibition order be imposed.”
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Choudhury, who used to teach at Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham College in New Cross, south east London, did not attend the hearing.
He sent the panel a series of references including one from the Chairman of the Council of Mosques in Tower Hamlets.
The panel was also told that he had apologised to the student who was offended by the picture.
But Mr Heathcote added: “Aside from this the panel has seen little evidence that Mr Choudhury has any insight into or remorse for his actions.
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“The panel notes that Mr Choudhury has instead, in his statement to the panel, sought to go behind the conviction, trying to cast doubt on whether he did in fact post the image or comment in question.
“Mr Choudhury's engagement with the panel has been minimal, with him supplying a statement but failing to engage with the NCTL thereafter or to attend the hearing.”
Following his arrest last year, Choudhury told police that he had shared the image accidentally and did not mean to offend anyone.
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