Enoch Burke—a controversial Irish teacher who refused to accept transgender rights—has landed in prison once again for refusing to stay away from the school he was sacked from.
“When I am commanded, when I'm told that I can't have my religious belief anymore, when I'm told I have to confess belief in transgenderism, instead of my simple belief, which is male and female, that's just a breach simply of my rights,” he told Sky News at the school gates prior to his arrest.
Highlights
- Teacher Enoch Burke was arrested for the third time for refusing to stay away from the Wilson’s Hospital School.
- He sparked controversy over refusing to call a transgender student by their new name and preferred pronouns.
- He was arrested for showing up at the school despite being sacked and barred by the court from entering the premises.
- "When I’m told that I can’t have my religious belief anymore, when I’m told I have to confess belief in transgenderism, instead of my simple belief, which is male and female, that’s just a breach simply of my rights,” he said.
The history and German teacher has been persistently defying an injunction that barred him from entering Wilson’s Hospital School in Multyfarnham, County Westmeath—a school that dismissed him last year.
Since the start of the new term last month, he has been showing up at the school and claiming it is his “moral duty” to be there.
Enoch Burke, a controversial Irish teacher, continued to defy court orders by repeatedly showing up at the school he was dismissed from
Image credits: Enoch Burke / Twitter
Image credits: Enoch Burke / Twitter
Enoch was arrested on Monday, September 2, for breaching the injunction that ordered him to stay away from the school.
He was sent back to the Mountjoy Prison, where he had already spent 400 days over the last two years.
The Evangelical Christian was first suspended from the school in 2022 after refusing to call a transitioning student by their new name and their preferred gender-neutral pronouns.
The school had asked the former teacher to refer to the student as "they," but Enoch refused to comply and claimed it was against his religious beliefs.
The history and German teacher sparked controversy in 2022 over refusing to call a transitioning student by their new name and their preferred pronouns
Image credits: Enoch Burke / Twitter
Image credits: Enoch Burke / Twitter
Following a public confrontation with the school’s then-principal, the defiant teacher was suspended in August 2022. However, that did not stop him from continuing to show up at the school.
A judge issued an injunction that barred him from entering Wilson's Hospital School, which he continued to defy by still showing up at the school’s premises. He was subsequently jailed in September 2022 for contempt of court, and he remained behind bars for three months.
He was eventually released, only to be imprisoned again in September 2023 for continuously returning to the school despite the court's restrictions.
He was captured condemning law enforcement officials for trying to arrest him on Monday, September 2
While the school holidays were going on, Enoch was released from prison once again in June. A couple of months later, he was arrested this week for the third time.
Before his arrest, the anti-trans rights supporter said he would continue to show up at the school.
“This is where I work,” he told Irish Mirror last week and pointed out that he was still getting paid by the school.
When questioned about his experience in prison, he told the outlet: “I detest prison. It’s a horrible, sad place. It’s a terrible place to be behind a door for 18 hours a day. But the issue is, prison is for people who break the law, and in this case, I’m here doing my moral duty.”
“This is where I should be today. I’m standing up for my rights, for what I believe in,” he said while speaking on the school grounds. “This isn’t a crime. It’s not an offense being here.”
The defiant teacher's family members and supporters have staged protests on different occasions over his arrest
Image credits: Enoch Burke / Twitter
Image credits: Enoch Burke / Twitter
He asserted that it was his “duty” to be at the school because he has a “God-given” right to hold on to his beliefs about transgenderism.
“It’s my moral duty to be here,” he told the outlet. “Because it would be wrong for me for one moment to accept that I do not have God-given rights, that I do not have rights, including the right to my beliefs as everyone in this country has,” he continued. “And what it’s about that it’s about transgenderism. It’s about a belief.”
“I am entitled to my religious belief, and I was told by the principal that I wasn’t allowed to have that religious belief anymore. That’s what it’s about,” he added.