Enoch Burke: Irish teacher jailed for third time in transgender dispute | World News

A teacher who was involved in a dispute over a transgender student has been sent to prison for the third time by a Dublin court.

Enoch Burke was arrested by Irish police at Wilson's Hospital School in County Westmeath on Monday after refusing to comply with a court order requiring him not to attend classes.

The school board had fired Burke from his post after a dispute over his refusal to recognize the new identity of a transgender student.

Burke was brought before the High Court in Dublin on Monday evening, where a judge ruled that he had breached the existing court order and must be returned to Mountjoy Prison.

Burke accused the court of denying him his religious rights, which include his belief in two genders, male and female. “This is a mockery of justice,” he told the judge.

The verdict was met with harsh criticism from members of the Burke family present.

Enoch Burke was suspended from Wilson's Hospital School in August 2022 following a public dispute with the then headteacher. The deeply religious teacher had objected to the use of the new name and pronoun “they” by a student who wanted to change his gender.

Despite his suspension, Burke continued to attend school. A judge issued a restraining order preventing Burke from going to Wilson's Hospital.

The teacher violated this rule and was jailed for contempt of court in September 2022. He spent three months in Mountjoy Prison in Dublin before being released, but was jailed again in September 2023 after repeated appearance at school.

Burke was told by the court that he would be released if he simply promised to comply with the order and stay away from school, but he chose not to do so.

The case attracted a great deal of attention in Ireland and divided opinion. Some felt that Burke's constitutionally guaranteed freedom of religion was being suppressed, while others felt that his behaviour at school and in court was unacceptable.

Images of Burke standing outside the school with a leather bag slung over his shoulder became the subject of memes, attracting international attention as the teacher became a lightning rod for the culture wars raging in the United States, Britain and elsewhere.

The teacher has been portrayed as a martyr by many right-wing “anti-woke” commentators, although Burke himself never attempted to portray himself as such.

With school holidays in effect, a Supreme Court judge released Burke in June of this year, but warned him that the restraining order remained in effect. In total, he had spent more than 400 days in jail.

The judge expressed hope that Burke would reflect on the situation, but on August 22, the teacher returned to Wilson's Hospital for the gradual start of the new school year.

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When approached by Sky News at the school gates, Burke insisted his dismissal from the school was not valid as the appeals process was ongoing, pointing out that he was still being paid. He was there to do his “duty”, he said, and that was to teach.

When asked why he did not respect the student's preferred identity, Burke said, “I teach everyone who stands in front of me. I teach every single student.”

“But when I'm ordered to do something, when I'm told that I can no longer have my religious beliefs, when I'm told that I have to embrace transgenderism instead of my simple beliefs, which are male and female, that's simply a violation of my rights.”

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Last month, the school again appealed to the Supreme Court, resulting in Monday's conviction.

“I detest prison, it's a terrible place,” Burke recently told Sky News.

“You lose your freedom and are, at best, behind a door 18 hours a day. It's a very difficult life for those who are in there.”