Charity rejects claims over school Valentine’s cards as protesters gather in Rotherham
A small demonstration and counter-protest were held in the town centre earlier
Protesters gathered outside Rotherham Council’s Riverside House on Friday over claims about a classroom activity linked to the national Schools of Sanctuary programme. The charity involved says these claims are “false and inflammatory.”
The demonstration, promoted online as part of a “national protest,” was advertised on a flyer that alleged 1,200 schools and nurseries were “encouraging children as young as five” to write “love letters, Valentine’s Day cards and pledges” to adult refugees. The flyer described the activity as “institutionalised grooming on a mass scale.”
City of Sanctuary UK, which runs the Schools of Sanctuary scheme, has strongly denied the allegations. The charity said pupils in a “small number” of schools took part in an age-appropriate, teacher-led activity involving anonymised messages of welcome such as “We hope you feel safe here” to people seeking safety in their communities. It said no personal information was shared and the activity followed “rigorous school safeguarding policies.”
The charity also said it was “dangerous” that lists of schools involved in the scheme had been shared online, warning this could put pupils and staff at risk. No schools in Rotherham are currentlyon the circulated list.
Protesters were met by a counter-demonstration organised by Unison members and other campaigners. Protesters declined to speak to reporters at the scene.
Police officers kept the two groups separated, and the event remained peaceful. An apparent police drone hovered overhead during the demonstrations.
Chants from counter-protesters included “Refugees are welcome here” and “Stop the division and hatred”, while protesters shouted “Shame on you” and “send them back” in response.
Phil Turner, from Rotherham Stand Up To Racism, told the crowd: “Women don’t need fascists to protect them. Women organise in unions and everywhere else to stand up against, amongst other things, racism and fascism.”
Jawad, from Stand Up to Racism, said minority communities in the town, particularly the Roma community, are often targeted. He said claims that the Schools of Sanctuary programme was linked to a “mass grooming scandal” were unfounded. He added that there are no sanctuary schools in Rotherham and therefore no letters had been sent from local schools to refugees.