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A teacher accused of describing Islam as “satanic” and making inappropriate remarks about cocaine has been found guilty of professional misconduct. Patrick Lawler, who has taught in both Northumberland and Bristol, was also criticized for bringing the teaching profession into disrepute, according to a panel from the Teaching Regulation Agency. Issues concerning his conduct came to light prior to a BBC Wales undercover investigation that exposed his far-right views.
The BBC Wales documentary *Unmasked: Extreme Far Right* featured Mr. Lawler speaking to an undercover reporter while attending events organized by the far-right group Patriotic Alternative. In conversations recorded in 2024, Lawler claimed that a race war was “absolutely inevitable” and expressed extreme hostility toward foreigners living in the UK, saying if they refused to leave, “the only way to get rid of them will be to kill every single one of them.” In response to the exposure, Lawler accused the BBC of harboring “anti-white bias” and claimed the corporation unjustly “persecutes ordinary British people who care deeply about the safety and wellbeing of our indigenous people.” Despite public scrutiny, he appears to remain active in the group, recently attending a Christmas event, as seen on Patriotic Alternative’s Telegram channel.
During the official hearing, the panel reviewed allegations unrelated to the BBC investigation but consistent with Lawler’s controversial beliefs. They found that he had authored or co-authored newsletters that described Islam as “demonic” and “satanically inspired,” while condemning same-sex relationships as “unnatural, unhealthy, disgusting perversion.” The panel acknowledged that although Lawler is entitled to his beliefs, his writings were more than personal opinions, constituting attacks aimed at denigrating others’ positions.
Additional examples of his unprofessional behavior include an incident in 2019 at Bede Academy where he diverted a medieval history lesson to controversial topics. He told a group of year six pupils that civil rights icon Rosa Parks did not exist and accused Martin Luther King Jr. of plagiarism. The panel found these remarks inappropriate, especially since children of that age lack the tools to critically analyze such distorted perspectives. Further, in 2020 discussions about the Black Lives Matter movement, Lawler claimed “BLM” stood for “burn, loot, murder.” In another troubling instance, he reportedly told pupils that they should be “hanging from lampposts” because of poor mock exam results—a comment made during a mental health and life expectancy lesson, leaving one student particularly shocked due to personal struggles at the time. He was also found to have said in 2020 that “back in the day, you used to be able to get cocaine, purer,” a remark made unrelated to any lesson content.
The hearing revealed that Lawler’s employer at the time, Bede Academy, had warned him about his conduct, issuing a formal warning in July 2019 and taking further disciplinary action in December 2020. He resigned during the ongoing investigation and later worked for a supply teaching agency in Bristol. However, further complaints led to additional scrutiny after a lesson at Bristol Brunel Academy where he questioned the scientific validity of Covid-19 in 2022. As a result, the teaching agency referred him to the Teaching Regulation Agency. The panel concluded that throughout these incidents, Lawler continued to promote controversial views in a biased manner. Chairwoman Louisa Munton emphasized that his behavior was “unacceptable professional conduct” and potentially damaging to the reputation of the teaching profession. The panel will now privately consider whether to recommend that Mr. Lawler be prohibited from teaching
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