Teachers ‘compared to terrorists’ by showing students Trump video

An English school teacher has been accused of posing a risk to children by showing a video of Donald Trump in his US politics class, referring to the government’s counter-terrorism programme.

The teacher, who is in his 50s, told the Telegraph that A-level students were being “compared to terrorists” by showing videos including Mr Trump’s inauguration.

A politics lecturer at sixth-form Henley College in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, with more than 2,000 students, reported to the local child protection authority, which made terrorism a “priority” for the government’s counter-terrorism programme.

The teacher was accused of causing “emotional harm” to his 17- and 18-year-old A-level students. In a document seen by The Telegraph, local authorities in charge of child protection suggested showing the videos could be a “hate crime”.

The extraordinary claims prompted the teacher, who was first qualified in the mid-1990s, to launch a grievance procedure against the college. In a negotiated settlement, it effectively forced him to resign from his £44,000-a-year post, giving him a £2,000 payout.

Her case is the latest uncovered by The Telegraph in which child protection laws appear to have been used to try to ban adults with alleged right-wing views from working with children.

The Free Speech Union believes laws intended to protect children from murderers and rapists are being misused to target adults with ill-conceived ideas. It said the teacher’s case was a clear example of child protection protocols being “weaponised to silence someone for political reasons”.

The teacher, who did not want to be identified, said: “They compared me to a terrorist. It was absolutely terrifying. It’s as dystopian as a George Orwell novel.”

Documents seen by The Telegraph show how Henley College launched an investigation in January 2025 after two of the lecturer’s students complained. He was accused of “biased” and “subjectless” teaching.

The college said in an official email dated January 28 that “she was accused of showing videos to your students about Donald Trump, his campaign, propaganda and other videos that are not related to what is being taught”.

The college then claimed that one of the videos “made a student feel uncomfortable”.

The teacher said: “It was just terrifying; just mind-boggling. We were discussing the US election, Trump had just won and I showed some videos of Trump’s campaign. Another thing, I was accused of bias. One student claimed he was emotionally disturbed and had nightmares.”

The teacher, a practicing Catholic who admits he is a Republican but insists his views are mainstream, said when asked if he was a far-right extremist: “I’m not an extremist.”

He accused the college of “total left-wing bias” and added: “They don’t tolerate anything about Donald Trump.”

The college referred the case to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO), an officer who investigates security concerns.

The May 22 LADO report said the teacher’s views “could be considered radical” and Henley College “should complete a prevent referral”.

It went on: “There is concern that this behavior may harm a child, there may be a criminal offense from views that may constitute a hate crime and it is possible that the propagation of his views may be radical.”

The government’s strategy to combat terrorism is prevention, by intervening in schools and other places where radicalization concerns are raised.

Alleged that the teaching of the students is biased and against the subject

The teacher said: “I felt absolutely humiliated at the suggestion that I was a danger to children. It affected my mental health. I had to see a counsellor. It ruined my physical health. It was absolutely terrifying. It really shocked me.”

She received a formal letter in April accusing her of misconduct. His alleged offense was causing “emotional harm…” to your students because you shared inappropriate material (especially videos) with them and lacked balance in presenting political views with an emphasis on right-wing, potentially extremist views.

The letter cited students’ allegations that “your teaching is biased and off-topic and has detracted from what students learn”.

Among the videos were a music video titled Daddy’s Home, made by American comedian and Trump supporter Roseanne Barr, and Tom MacDonald, a Canadian artist dubbed the Maga Rapper. The video has 7.8 million views on YouTube and was suggested to the teacher by one of his students.

The teacher remains appalled that the video – set against the backdrop of cheering MAGA supporters – could possibly be “emotionally disturbing” to the student.

He says he is convinced he was targeted by a group of students after taking a politics class in early September 2024. He had taught business studies at the college the previous year and was praised for his work, but he turned to politics to help with staff shortages.

The teacher, who now works as a supply teacher while seeking full-time office, has extensive family ties to the US but insists his Republican views are not extreme, pointing to Mr Trump winning the popular vote with confidence in the Electoral College.

He was teaching students classes about politics and propaganda, and he even showed them Kamala Harris videos. Before filing the complaint, he had shown five videos related to Trump.

In April 2025, he wrote to US Vice President J.D. Vance, complaining of “a shocking case of communist-style silence imposed on opposition to statements and statements imposed by the intolerant left”, adding: “My career is in jeopardy because of this shocking abuse at the personal hands of the US Republican Party. And their agenda is to silence anyone who disagrees or has different views and opinions.” He does not know when the letter reached Mr. Vance.

‘Abuse and Harassment’

He contacted the Free Speech Union (FSU) for help fighting claims of “misconduct” and an ongoing disciplinary investigation. He was eventually given a written warning

The FSU, which provides legal aid to members, claimed in its defense that it had been the victim of “intimidation and harassment” and was also accused of showing “videos of genocide” to children. This video was part of a set of teaching materials provided by the Holocaust Education Trust.

Lord Young, director of FSU and a Tory peer, said: “The United States is our closest ally and Donald Trump is its democratically elected leader. Showing a section of politics students, especially one of his campaign ads with Kamala Harris, does not make you a risk to children.

“There is a clear case of security protocols being weaponized to silence someone for political reasons.”

Henley College, which attracts students from Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire, said: “Henley College does not comment on individual allegations or ongoing investigations.

“We are committed to safeguarding the wellbeing of all our students and staff, and follow statutory safeguarding procedures in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education 2025.

“Allegations are handled with due care, in accordance with statutory guidance, with appropriate support provided to all involved.”