A Christian teacher who was dismissed from Preston College for online comments complaining about two tier policing has spoken at a free speech conference organised by Reform UK.
Simon Pearson’s 20 years as a teacher were unblemished until the incident. In one post Pearson denounced violent rhetoric directed towards Muslims following the Southport murders last year, but went on to point out that similar, or even worse rhetoric went unpunished.
Pearson pointed to the case of Labour Councillor Ricky Jones who said that “disgusting Nazi fascists” should have their throats cut. Jones was acquitted of encouraging violent disorder.
By contrast, Lucy Connolly, served 40 per cent of a 31-month prison sentence for posting on X, “Mass deportation now, set fire to all the f****** hotels full of the b******* for all I care... If that makes me racist, so be it.” She was sentenced despite deleting her post soon after posting it.
Pearson’s trouble began on 15 August 2024, when the Islamic representative of the National Education Union at Preston College (NEU) submitted a formal complaint claiming that Pearson’s posts were “Islamophobic” and “racially discriminatory”.
In one post Pearson referred to a violent incident at Manchester airport. Footage showed a Muslim man being restrained on the floor and kicked in the head by a police officer. It later emerged that the man in question had been involved in a violent altercation earlier in the day and had just punched a female police officer in the face, breaking her nose.
Pearson posted, “What the brave police officers endured before that was not shown by these two savages and the leftist woke media. If these people have no respect for the police and UK laws they need deporting back to their ancestral home and their property confiscated by the state. They deserved all they got in return and more.”
He was sacked after the Islamic representative threatened to go to the police and the media if action was not taken. During the disciplinary process Pearson apologised for any offence caused and pointed to his past support for Muslim students.
Pearson is being represented in claims of wrongful dismissal by the Christian Legal Centre and has said that his story is a warning about the current perilous state of freedom of speech in Britain.
He told the Reform conference, “I stand before you not as a teacher, but as someone who has been unjustly dismissed by Preston College, branded with the label of 'Islamophobia' for expressing concern about violent crime and the erosion of free speech and justice in our country."
He added, “I have worked as a missionary in a communist country, where freedom of speech and religion were tightly controlled. I know what it means to live under a regime where truth is suppressed and conscience is punished.
“I never imagined I would face similar pressures here in the United Kingdom, a country built on the foundations of liberty, justice, and Christian values.”
Pearson called on Reform members to explore the Christian faith and to recognise in it the bedrock upon which Britain was built.
Andrea Williams, Chief Executive of the Christian Legal Centre, said, “The Christian Legal Centre stands firmly with Mr Pearson because we believe that no one should lose their livelihood for speaking truthfully and expressing lawfully protected views and beliefs. His case highlights the long standing intolerance toward Christian beliefs and moral convictions, especially when they challenge prevailing secular ideologies.”
A spokesperson for the NEU said: “The management of Preston College reached a decision to dismiss the teacher following disciplinary procedures.
“The NEU was not directly involved in these processes and it will be for the Employment Tribunal to consider the fairness of the dismissal if and when the claim reaches a hearing.”
Preston College has been contacted for comment.
