A former history teacher with a trail of extremist rants and conspiracy theories has been banned from teaching indefinitely. Patrick Lawler, 62, sparked outrage after telling pupils that civil rights hero Martin Luther King was a “fraud” and Rosa Parks “did not really exist.” He also predicted a race war was “absolutely inevitable.”
Teacher’s Shocking Claims and Abuse Uncovered
Lawler, who taught in Northumberland and Bristol, was found guilty of gross misconduct by the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) panel in Coventry. In 2019, during a Year 6 history lesson at Bede Academy, he ditched the curriculum to spout racist and false claims.
- He described the Black Lives Matter movement as “Burn, Loot, Murder.”
- Claimed cocaine was “purer back in the day.”
- Mocked struggling students by saying they should be “hanging from lampposts.”
- Told pupils there was no proof Covid-19 existed and promoted dangerous health advice.
Extremist Newsletters and Hate Speech
But Lawler’s classroom antics were just the tip of the iceberg. He authored newsletters called The Flock, filled with vile views on Islam, homosexuality, and abortion. His words branded Islam as “demonic” and labelled sex between men “disgusting perversion.”
“A large number of Catholic priests are predatory homosexual child-molesters and practising sodomites,” he wrote.
He even advocated violence, saying all foreigners in the UK had “no right to be here” and threatened: “The only way to get rid of them will be to kill every single one.”
Warnings Ignored, Supply Teaching Continues
Despite multiple official warnings from school leaders between 2019 and 2022 to stop injecting personal and political views into lessons, Lawler persisted—even taking supply roles in Bristol where he carried on his misconduct.
Louisa Munton, chair of the TRA panel, slammed his actions:
“The public expects teachers to guide pupils with balance and impartiality. They do not expect them to act as activists or lobbyists. Such conduct dangerously erodes trust in education.”
Marc Cavey, signing off the decision, added that Lawler’s lack of insight means his behaviour could repeat, endangering pupils’ well-being.
How Did He Get Away With It For So Long?
The case exposes serious flaws in safeguarding and monitoring. Lawler’s ongoing misconduct and poisonous rhetoric, including threats of violence, should have ended his career sooner. Targeting vulnerable 10 and 11-year-olds with lies about historic civil rights figures was a blatant abuse of trust.
His ban, lasting at least four years with a narrow appeal window, sends a clear message: extremist, hate-fuelled teaching has no place in UK schools.
