Nigel Farage Accuses Teachers of ‘Poisoning Our Kids’ on Race Issues
The political figure stated that teachers would go on strike shortly after a Reform UK election victory, accusing them of “poisoning our kids” by instructing children that African-Caribbean youth are oppressed and Caucasian students are perpetrators.
At a gathering for a private US Christian college, Farage outlined his perspective on the UK education system, claiming that the “radical left-wing” had “taken over schooling”.
“I’m anticipating a teachers’ strike very quickly after securing a victory,” Farage commented during a Q&A session.
“They are poisoning our kids. They are telling them to be ashamed of their country. They inform little Johnny, who’s eight, who is black that he is a victim and a white child of the same age that he is an oppressor. They are dividing us, instead of fostering unity. They are feeding this negative culture.”
In response to Farage’s claims, the head of a major education union dismissed the notion that the schools were under Marxist influence as “nonsense”. He pointed out that industrial action must relate to educators’ working conditions, and doubted whether the party would target these immediately upon entering government.
“Farage has built his political career on coded rhetoric and currently, similar to other figures, he is targeting educators and their unions for a fight,” the union leader said.
“I think that’s grossly irresponsible. I don’t – and nor does my union – advocate such divisive theories as he claims … Should he become prime minister he would sell out our public services, particularly schooling … and the outcome would be catastrophic for education and children.”
Reform, which is leading the polls by a significant margin, has not set out much detail on a proposed education policy and seems not to have appointed an education spokesperson.
Nonetheless, Farage’s remarks indicated the group would reform the system and the curriculum. Farage declared: “We face an enormous task with schooling – truly monumental. And, it won’t happen quickly; it requires years, years to turn this around.”
He stated that gen Z was more open to critical thinking, but older youth were “completely lost”.
Paying tribute to Charlie Kirk, Farage said: “All I want education to do to teach critical thinking – to instruct people that there are two points of view and you make up your own mind rather than what’s happening now where one is virtuous and one is evil. This is a huge undertaking in the UK and US.”
The party has conflicted with the UK’s largest teaching union, after Kebede called the party “extremist and prejudiced” and described the leader as “a cheap imitation”.
Farage has accused Kebede of being “an avowed radical” … an individual intent that our children should be poisoned through education, their thinking tainted about everything to do with this country” and has argued that the union is trying to indoctrinate teenagers against Reform.
Roughly a million individuals work in schools in the UK, about half of whom are teachers and the remainder being assistants and administrative personnel. The major education union has about 450,000 members.
Countrywide walkouts over teacher pay and conditions in recent years caused widespread disruption in schools and millions of days of lost learning for students.
At the US event, Farage also vowed to promote the digital courses of the institution in the UK. He said such groups were “key to resistance”, noting: “I am serious. I’ll assist garner hundreds of thousands, if not millions of youth to these educational programs. I make that commitment tonight and I’ll do that.”
The college, a small private Christian college, provides complimentary classes. Its website states: “A scientific, literary, theological, political, and moral education is necessary for personal happiness and to perpetuate the blessings of civil and religious liberty. The college furnishes these excellent programs for no charge to all who wish to learn.”