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NAZI

School watchdog probes teacher over Nazi allegations

A teacher who went to a Nazi meeting and joined anti-Semitic groups on social media is being investigated by the Swedish school watchdog.

School watchdog probes teacher over Nazi allegations
File photo of a school not related to the story. Photo: Pontus Lundahl/TT

The teacher, who works at a school in Kävlinge municipality, attented a meeting held by the militant far-right Nordic Resistance Movement where the group's manifesto was discussed. Sweden's security police has described it as one of the most dangerous far-right groups in Sweden.

The Swedish Schools Inspectorate is now investigating the teacher after receiving an anonymous complaint about her last week, writes regional newspaper Sydsvenskan.

“I have never seen such serious reports about a teacher. We have immediately launched an investigation,” Elizabeth Malmstedt of the education watchdog told the daily.

In a podcast published by a far-right site, the teacher, who Sydsvenskan reports is also active in nationalist and anti-Semitic groups on social media, confirmed that she attended the meeting, but denied being a member. “I actually had a really nice evening,” she told the podcast.

When approached by Sydsvenskan and its sister paper HD by e-mail, she declined to answer questions, adding: “I have people behind me you don't want anything to do with.”

A spokesperson for the Schools Inspectorate confirmed to The Local on Wednesday that they have launched an investigation, as is normal procedure.

“The investigation will lead to a decision on whether or not there are grounds to report the teacher to the teachers' disciplinary committee and request a warning or that their teacher certificate be revoked. The case is pending and it is not possible to assess how long it is going to take,” press officer Carina Larsson said.

The teacher is still working at the school, reports Sydsvenskan. The principal told the newspaper that the school has been told by lawyers that they have no right to ask questions about a teacher's political views.

“My work extends to ensuring that the education is based on democratic values. In the current situation there is nothing about her teaching that gives me reason to question that.”

The Schools Inspectorate is unable to comment on a specific case during an ongoing investigation, but asked about the general rules, Larsson told The Local: “In general, public sector employees including teachers enjoy freedom of speech as all other citizens in Sweden. But it is important to remember that the teacher in their teaching should always uphold those values shared by the school's values and clearly distance themselves from conflicting values. In Sweden's school act it says, among other things, that a teacher should promote human rights and actively discourage all forms of degrading treatment.”

Police are also investigating after posters with the teacher's picture, name, address and her parents' address were put up at the school by far-left group Anti-Fascist Action.

According to police reports filed by the teacher, last month a rock and smoke bomb were thrown through her window, her tyres were slashed and the word “Nazi” sprayed on her balcony.

The Local has e-mailed the school for a comment.

SCHOOL

Bavaria plans 100 million rapid Covid tests to allow all pupils to return to school

In the southern state of Bavaria, schools have been promised 100 million self-tests starting next week so that more children can start being taught in person again. But teachers say the test strategy isn't being implemented properly.

Bavaria plans 100 million rapid Covid tests to allow all pupils to return to school
Children in the classroom in Bavaria. Photo:Matthias Balk/DPA

State leaders Markus Söder said on Friday that the first 11 million of the DIY tests had already arrived and would now be distributed through the state.

“It’s no good in the long run if the testing for the school is outside the school,” Söder told broadcaster Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR) during a visit to a school in Nuremberg.

“Contrary to what has been planned in Berlin, we’ve pre-ordered in Bavaria: for this year we have 100 million tests.”

Bavaria, Germany’s largest state in terms of size, plans to bring all children back into schools starting on Monday.

SEE ALSO: ‘The right thing to do’ – How Germany is reopening its schools

However, high coronavirus case rates mean that these plans have had to be shelved in several regions.

In Nuremberg, the state’s second largest city, primary school children have been sent back into distance learning after just a week back in the classroom.

The city announced on Friday that schools would have to close again after the 7-day incidence rose above 100 per 100,000 inhabitants.

The nearby city of Fürth closed its schools after just two days of classroom time on Wednesday, after the 7-day incidence rose to 135.

The Bavarian test strategy plans for school children to receive one test per week, while teachers have the possibility of taking two tests a week. The testing is not compulsory.

But teachers’ unions in the southern state have warned that the test capacity only exists on paper and have expressed concern that their members will become infected in the workplace.

“Our teachers are afraid of infection,” Almut Wahl, headmistress of a secondary school in Munich, told BR24.

“Officially they are allowed to be tested twice a week, we have already received a letter about this. But the tests are not there.”

BR24 reports that, contrary to promises made by the state government, teachers in many schools have still not been vaccinated, ventilation systems have not been installed in classrooms, and the test infrastructure has not been put in place.

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