Teacher on trial for allegedly encouraging students to ignore parents’ ‘xenophobic views’

A court on Monday on the eastern Aegean island of Samos will hear a case brought by a local parents association against a teacher whom they accuse of encouraging students to ignore the wishes of their parents regarding their opposition to refugee students entering the school.

According to reports, the primary school teacher in the town of Vathi spoke up against racism during a lesson in 2018 and encouraged students to embrace refugee children, but sparked the ire of the parents association, which accused her of prodding them to ignore the “xenophobic” views of their parents.