Eton master who was dismissed after voicing his views about patriarchy on YouTube claims the school rigged a disciplinary panel against him
An Eton master who was let go after voicing his views about patriarchy on YouTube has claimed the school rigged a disciplinary panel against him.
Will Knowland, 37, was dismissed after he refused to take down the online lecture tackling radical feminism and the concept of 'toxic masculinity' from his personal YouTube channel.
The move sparked outrage among students who launched a petition for Mr Knowland's reinstatement, plunging the £42,500-a-year Berkshire school into chaos and embroiling it in a free speech row.
Mr Knowland was brought before a panel made up of senior teachers which determined his actions represented gross misconduct and should result in dismissal.
Andrew Gailey, the vice-provost and former housemaster to Prince William and Prince Harry, chaired the appeal panel, after the provost, Lord Waldegrave of North Hill, recused himself, The Times reports. The appeal panel upheld the disciplinary panel's decision.
But Mr Knowland now claims the disciplinary panel was stacked with close associates of head master Simon Henderson, known as 'Trendy Hendy', who had been accused of suppressing free speech and implementing a progressive 'woke' agenda amid the row.
Will Knowland, 37, was dismissed after he refused to take down an online lecture tackling radical feminism and the concept of 'toxic masculinity' from his personal YouTube channel
Under-fire headmaster Mr Henderson, known as 'Trendy Hendy' has been accused of suppressing free speech and implementing a progressive 'woke' agenda
He wrote in the Spectator: 'As Lenin knew, ''the educational value of courts is tremendous''.
'At my hearing, two of the three ''senior teachers'' specified as disciplinary panellists by the college's constitution are the head master's new appointments to his inner circle, and the third was his own deputy.
'The college had lawyers present (at one point attempting to replace a fellow with an external QC) while I did not.'
Mr Knowland also claimed a colleague's character witness statement was 'significantly altered' and was only restored to the original version after she wrote in to protest.
'Only in response to pressure did the school provide an external note-taker,' he added.
The school claimed the lecture advocated male superiority and female inferiority, glorified violence and promoted far-right extremism
Mr Knowland lost his disciplinary over his dismissal after the governing body upheld the decision to sack him
The teacher also referenced reports that Eton had considered referring his YouTube lecture to the government's deradicalisation Prevent scheme.
'With the head master threatening to refer me to the Teaching Regulation Agency, potentially banning me from the classroom for life, at least I can be grateful to Covid-19 for boosting demand of my online teaching,' he wrote.
Eton said in a statement: 'Eton is not seeking to get Mr Knowland barred from the teaching profession and the Head Master has written to the Teaching Regulation Agency making this clear.
'Any suggestion that the Head Master has ever threatened to report Mr Knowland under the Prevent Duty is also categorically untrue.
'Mr Knowland's dismissal was not a matter of freedom of speech, but was the outcome of a disciplinary hearing related to his repeated refusal to observe a reasonable request to temporarily remove his video lecture while Eton considered advice that its contents could well breach a number of the school's policies as well as the school's legal and regulatory responsibilities.
'Eton believes passionately in free speech. However, as in any school, there are limits to the freedoms that teachers have and there are professional obligations that must be respected.'