The Times - UK (2020-12-02)

the times | Wednesday December 2 2020 2GM 21

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ment doubled between Monday and

yesterday, to more than 2,100.

Lawyers have told The Times that the

school was right to be cautious. Jack Ra-

binowicz, a partner specialising in edu-

cation at Teacher Stern Solicitors, said

in May, his mentor helped him to

enrol on a degree studying sports busi-

ness and coaching.“Without the char-

ity I don’t think I would be in uni right

now, I don’t think I would be going on

this right path,” JoJo says. “They

TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER JACK HILL

An Eton pupil was sent home after de-

manding the resignation of the head

master over the sacking of a teacher

who had posted a video on YouTube.

The student wrote to Simon Hender-

son claiming that “parents, staff and

boys have been shocked by your arro-

gance, laziness and most of all your ut-

ter disregard for the school in handling

this affair, and if you have any honour

at all, you will tender your letter of res-

ignation to the Eton community”.

His letter was sent after the dismissal

of Will Knowland, an English teacher,

who had posted a video on YouTube

claiming that patriarchy was grounded

in biology. Eton has denied that it was

attempting to suppress free speech and

said that his sacking was a disciplinary

issue for repeatedly failing to remove

the video as requested.

The boy is understood to have been

asked to go home for a short break by

senior teachers. He is believed to have

since apologised to the head teacher

over the letter. Mr Henderson is due to

meet the pupil for further discussion,

but no formal disciplinary processes

have been instituted by the school.

Yesterday, as leading lawyers said

that the school was right to sack Mr

Knowland, support for the teacher

grew to hundreds of past and present

pupils. Those from the “Eton commu-

nity” signing a petition for his reinstate-

Eton pupil calls for head to quit

over YouTube teacher’s sacking

Fariha Karim

Nicola Woolcock Education Editor

that Mr Knowland, whose YouTube

channel is called Knowland Knows,

had been unwise to post a video that ex-

pressed views that society found un-

acceptable. Although the government

opposed curbs on free speech in univer-

sities, schools were different, he said.

“Adults are supposed to be able to make

their own minds up. Children might not

be able to distinguish so easily.” Doing

nothing could have left the school open

to an investigation from the Equality

and Human Rights Commission.

Ronnie Fox, a partner at Fox & Part-

ners, a City law firm, said: “Eton is doing

the right thing by taking action if teach-

ers put forward controversial asser-

tions without evidence.”

In the petition to Lord Waldegrave of

North Hill, the provost of Eton, the

boys said that Mr Knowland should be

reinstated because the video contained

41 academic citations. The video, how-

ever, also quotes the action film 300 ,

which is based on a comic series, and

the TV series Sex and the City. The boys

wrote: “His video is arguably a model

for how to convey a contentious argu-

ment impeccably.”

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believed in me more than I believed in

myself.”

Both men received one-to-one

support from Milka Fisiha, 29, a mentor

with the charity. “You are with them on

this emotional rollercoaster some-

times, but when you see the impact and

they see it themselves, I can’t even

quantify what that feels like,” she says.

“It’s phenomenal.”

Mike Crofts, who founded the 3Pil-

lars Project in 2015, said: “Sported has

helped us to create long-term sustain-

ability. We’ve worked with their experi-

enced volunteers on developing our

fundraising activities and how we eval-

uate our work.”

He said of the young men: “They will

repay the faith that you placed in them

tenfold because you have not given up

on them at a time when they would

absolutely expect someone to give up

on them.”

Master’s voice

Quotes from Will Knowland’s video

on patriarchy:

Work A world without men would

be awful for women. Men do the

most dangerous jobs and are more

likely to die at work. [Without men]

over 90 per cent of the world’s

population would die of starvation.

Women would revert to a primitive

life dwelling in huts and suffering

from a permanent shortage of

animal protein. Their life expectancy

would be less than 40 years.

Voting Regarding the vote, women

have always had it at the local level.

Courage Childbirth, it is true,

demands great courage of women

but you can’t lose childbirth by

running away.

Women’s power Biologically

speaking, the idea that men exert

power over women is nonsense.

Women can exploit their power of

sexual choice to get males to

compete to do things for them.

A petition backing

Will Knowland has

2,100 signatures