Muslim teacher who called gay people 'mentally ill' is banned

See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred SourceBy ROBERT FOLKER, NEWS REPORTER Published: 12:34 BST, 7 July 2026 | Updated: 13:39 BST, 7 July 2026

A Muslim teacher who told pupils 'Ukrainians are Nazis' and that 'gay and transgender people are mentally ill' has been banned from teaching.William Garwood, 60, told a misconduct investigation that he was 'entitled to his religious belief in Islam and to the philosophical belief of anti-Nazism'. The teacher made the comments during a year 11 history class just days after starting at St Mary's Menston Catholic Voluntary Academy in West Yorkshire, when he was asked, 'are there any just wars?' by one of his pupils, to which he replied: 'Yes.' He told the class that he was 'happy' that Russian President Vladimir Putin was killing 'satanic Nazis' in Ukraine, a Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) panel heard, and that the world was run by billionaires who created 'evil Ukrainians'.During the same class, the teacher also made comments to the effect that 'gay and transgender people are mentally ill' and 'billionaires are the cause of transgenders (sic) and they print it in the media and influence people', it was heard.Mr Garwood said that he did not give an opinion on gay people 'but asserted that he is a Muslim and that this position is known, and that students misinterpreted this and formed a false caricature of him', the TRA said. In his evidence, Mr Garwood said that his Islamic stance on transgender issues, which he believed also 'coincided with traditional British values', had been used to 'assert that he was a psychological threat to children's wellbeing'.He added that this was then used to 'emotionally manipulate safeguarding professionals', the panel wrote. William Garwood, 60, made the comments during a year 11 history class just days after starting at St Mary's Menston Catholic Voluntary Academy in West Yorkshire (pictured)The teacher said that he considered he was 'entitled to his religious belief in Islam and to the philosophical belief of anti-Nazism' under Section 10 of the Equality Act 2010, the panel heard. He added that the TRA's investigation 'represented a political reaction' to his comments, which he said 'reflect a legitimate difference of opinion'. But the panel said that it 'considered the comments made by Mr Garwood to be clearly inappropriate and wholly unrelated to the subject matter of the lesson on the history of Nazi Germany'. He joined the school in late September 2023 and had only worked for three days the following week when he made his comments.The TRA found that Mr Garwood's comments amounted to a justification of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in front of pupils.It also found that Mr Garwood's comments about Ukrainians and gay and transgender people 'fell within the scope of discriminatory behaviour'. But it rejected an allegation that he said the September 11 terror attacks in 2001 were planned by the US Government. The panel said there was a high risk of repetition and banned him from teaching for six years. Mr Garwood cannot apply for the banning order to be set aside until June 2032. If he does not appeal it, it will remain in place indefinitely.The TRA's written ruling noted: 'The panel noted that the remarks involved a significant and highly subjective value judgment, which had no relevance to the curriculum content being delivered.'Even if there had been some contextual link, the terminology used would not have been acceptable.'In particular, the panel highlighted that the statement amounted to an impermissible generalisation, effectively labelling Ukrainians as evil or Nazis, which was inappropriate.' 'Further, the panel expressed concern about the use of inappropriate labels directed at individuals or groups, particularly in a classroom setting.'The panel also considered the comments relating to homosexuality and transgender people to be especially problematic given their potential impact on school-aged children, noting that this subject matter is one of common public discussion and sensitivity.'The panel also considered that the comments were not only out of line with the educational purpose of the lesson but were also delivered without any attempt to provide balance or explore alternative perspectives.'As such, the panel concluded that the conduct was clearly inappropriate and significantly outside the bounds of acceptable teaching practice.'Mr Garwood could not be contacted for comment.