Police patrolled a secondary school yesterday after its head teacher was criticised for referring to the Palestinian flag as “a call to arms” during an assembly.
Officers attended Allerton Grange High School in Leeds after Mike Roper’s remarks attracted an angry response on social media. He warned parents of the potential for protests, and staff were briefed to help pupils to enter and leave school premises.
The video recording of his address to pupils went viral on social media over the weekend, resulting in accusations of “blatant Islamophobia”. The school said that the assembly aimed to address tensions within its multiracial student community caused by the conflict between Israel and Gaza.
In the video clip, Roper said: “By using a symbol such as the Palestinian
