Mother & Sister Of Teacher Jailed In Gender Pronouns Row, Arrested

The mother and sister of jailed school teacher Enoch Burke have been arrested,

Christian teacher Enoch Burke had been involved in a row over how to address a transgender student and was sent back to prison after breaching a court order which banned him from trespassing on the school premises.

Burke has been engaged in a long-running legal battle with Wilson’s Hospital School in County Westmeath, Ireland, after refusing to address the pupil by their chosen pronouns.

Burke, who was dismissed in 2023, claims he is being denied his religious rights.

The school claim that he has been repeatedly jailed for flouting court orders and continuing to trespass on private property.

Now, it is understood that his Mother and sister had been visitng Burke at Castlerea Prison in County Roscommon on Tuesday when they were also arrested, according to Irish broadcaster RTÉ

The move comes four weeks after the High Court in Dublin ordered Martina and Ammi Burke to be arrested and jailed for contempt of court.

In a statement, Gardaí (Irish police) said that they had executed a high court order.

They said that the two women would be taken to Mountjoy Women’s Prison in Dublin.

The Belfast Telegraph reports: The contempt of court charge was in relation to a hearing in February during which both women were removed from court by eight to 10 gardai.

Mr Cregan said the hearing “descended into chaos” when they interrupted proceedings and “persisted in standing up in court and shouting”.

Defending her actions, Martina Burke told the court her son Enoch had been “denied his constitutional rights”, while Ammi Burke said she “won’t sit silently by while my brother’s constitutional rights are being denied”.

The judge said “it is clear” the Burke family “believe that they are above the law”.