Irish history and German teacher Enoch Burke refused to “call a boy a girl” and is now in Dublin's Mountjoy Prison indefinitely until he agrees to comply with a court order to avoid the school. Burke declined to go along with one of his students' pronoun requests in May 2022. After a brief suspension, he was fired for “breaching the confidence” of the student in August. He has been jailed repeatedly since then, reports the Daily Mail, since he keeps going back to the premises of the school, Wilson's Hospital School in County Westmeath, despite being fired. He would reportedly go into the staff room and declare he was there to do his job. His family reportedly still protests at the school in solidarity with Burke and his supporters say the “country is behind him.” The school filed for a court order to keep Burke away from campus property, which he breached in September 2022. He spent 100 days in jail for not complying with the order. Burke and his family say he is being prosecuted for his Christian beliefs, because at a prior meeting with the headmistress of the school, he had said being a follower of Jesus means he “opposed transgenderism.”However, the headmistress pushed gender pronouns and “demanded” all the staff use whatever pronouns students request, which Burke has criticized vocally. At an appeal hearing, Burke said as much before the court, arguing he was jailed because of his beliefs. In September 2023, Burke was imprisoned again because he visited the school against the terms of the court order — and was told he will remain there indefinitely until he agrees to comply.
