24-06-2025
Scottish council denies teacher 'compared Union flag to Nazi swastika'
East Renfrewshire Council issued the denial following a row over a letter to parents which suggested the Union flag could be seen as 'potentially offensive or sectarian messaging'.
It came after a Union flag featuring staff faces was reported to have 'caused some upset'.
The primary school – which The National decided not to name due to recent sectarian violence targeting another school in the area – was then the focus of anger from Scottish Tory politicians over the incident, leading the council to apologise.
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On Tuesday, the Scottish Conservatives shared a further letter from East Renfrewshire Council's education manager, Tracy Morton, in which she suggested that the Union flag had been compared to the Nazi swastika.
Morton wrote: 'East Renfrewshire Council is proud to fly the Union Flag, a symbol of our national identity. It is understandable that parental feelings will run high when the use of the flag in a celebratory context by pupils, has been regarded as divisive, offensive and potentially sectarian.
'It is also completely understandable that the decisions taken by staff at the P7 Prom have caused upset ... For this I would like to apologise on behalf of the department and East Renfrewshire Council.'
She went on: 'In addition, I recognised that the actions of the headteacher the following day have inadvertently served to compound the original upset caused … In trying to place the response of the teacher's behaviour into a context her symbolism was misjudged.
'We are clear that it was not appropriate to have associated the incident that took place on Wednesday evening with the connotations of the Nazi swastika.'
Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay (Image: BBC) The Tories used the letter to attack the SNP. Russell Findlay's party wrote on social media: 'Telling children that the Union flag is somehow equivalent to the Nazi swastika is twisted nonsense and utterly inexcusable.
'This is what happens when the SNP's toxic nationalism infects schools and councils.'
However, East Renfrewshire Council then issued a statement saying that no such comparison had been drawn.
A spokesperson said: 'The council and the headteacher have apologised for any offence and upset that has been caused to pupils, parents and carers and the wider community.
'In seeking to explain the complexities of imagery with the children, we accept that mistakes were made and the example used was misjudged.
'At no point was the Union Flag compared to the Nazi swastika.
'We expect and support our schools to foster an ethos of respect for diverse perspectives and national identity.
'All educational establishments in East Renfrewshire should be spaces that are focused on learning, unity, and pride in a diverse British society.'
