Humanist teacher loses discrimination claim over Mary statue

A humanist teacher who objected to a statue of the virgin Mary being displayed at a Catholic school in Ireland has lost a claim of discrimination at a Workplace Relations Commission hearing.

In a confrontation with a caretaker, who had been given the job of placing the statue on display, the teacher said the statue was "unpalatable and offensive to him personally on the basis of his belief that the religious statue of the Virgin Mary is one associated with the repression of normal human sexuality".

When he removed the statue, he became involved in an altercation with the caretaker who, as a result, sustained minor injuries to his neck.

The teacher was given a verbal warning by the school (which was not identified at the Commission). He brought a claim of discrimination against the school, saying that the statue provoked deep unease and anxiety in him because of his deeply held beliefs.

But Enda Murphy, the adjudication officer in the case, rejected the teacher's claim for discrimination, harassment and victimisation. He said he did not believe the presence of the Mary altar "constituted a prohibition or disadvantage on him in terms of the manifestation or assertion of his beliefs as a humanist".

The WRC ruling found the teacher was not discriminated against on the grounds of religion. It said it was clear that "both parties engaged in conduct which was unprofessional" and that it was not unreasonable for a "faith school" to have such a statue.

Terry Sanderson, president of the National Secular Society said: "This case has strong echoes of the kind of discrimination claims brought by evangelical Christians in England. The claim that humanism is a 'strongly held belief' and deserves special consideration is not a good development.

"In this instance, the case was weak anyway. But the idea that because someone defines themselves as a humanist they have the right to insist that their beliefs should have preference, even in such a religious setting, is troubling.

"If this had been a secular school, the case might have had more force. But the way to approach this is to campaign for the abolition of faith schools, not to try to impose humanism on them by law."

Image © Rino Cammilleri / Mondadori