Jamie Bryson says Sinn Féin teacher hounded out by Protestant Coalition should be left to get on with her job

» John Hedges

An Phoblacht Editor

‘If a teacher can do her job and doesn’t bring her politics into school then she should be allowed to continue in peace’ – Jamie Bryson

UNION FLAG campaigner Jamie Bryson says the Sinn Féin teacher hounded out of her job in a mainly Protestant school by a Protestant Coalition Facebook campaign should left in peace to get on with her job.

Students, teaching colleagues and trade unions have joined Sinn Féin, the SDLP and the Ulster Unionist Party in condemning the online drive by unionist campaigner Willie Frazer and his Protestant Coalition to force Catherine Seeley (25) out of her post at the Boys’ Model School in the unionist Ballysillan area of north Belfast. Catherine was last month co-opted as a Sinn Féin councillor on Craigavon Borough Council.

The DUP issued a belated and generalised statement about the issues but the DUP leader and local DUP MLAs had still not publicly spoken out several days later.

Jamie Bryson (who describes himself as “Anti-Agreement Ulster Protestant”), however, posted on Twitter on Monday in a brief departure from his continuing stream of anti-republican invective:

“If a teacher can do her job and doesn’t bring her politics into school then she should be allowed to continue in peace.”

Many of the students at the Boys’ Model School come from the nearby Shankill area. Some still showed more bravery than unionist leaders by courageously coming out in support of Catherine Seeley on Facebook and Twitter as the story broke.

One A-level student wrote on Twitter:

“Can’t believe my teacher had to leave all because she was in Sinn Féin, great teacher and will be missed by her A-level [class].”

Another said:

“All the best Cat Seeley from her Boys’ Model A-level class! All literally gutted and a disgrace what’s happened to such a good person!”

And yet another posted:

“She was nothing but nice to me. Good luck wherever you end up.”

Sinn Féin MLA and Education spokesperson Chris Hazzard added:

“The question for unionist leaders is very simple – do they support the right of this young woman to go to her work free from threat and harassment or not?  If they do they must make this clear and stand up to the rejectionist sectarian rabble driving this disgraceful campaign of intimidation.”