A primary school teacher is being investigated after a councillor reported her for sending "offensive" tweets during a public meeting.

Jackie Schneider, a teacher at Morden primary schools, Poplar and St Theresa's, was reported by Councillor Richard Hilton following a local party meeting she attended on January 21.

A self-confessed "prolific tweeter", Mrs Schneider live-tweeted the event to almost 4,000 followers, disputing UK Independence Party (UKIP) views on immigration, honour killings and tax.

In the seconds it took to tweet: "58 white people listening to Merton UKIP councillor blaming spending on translation services", Mrs Schneider had brewed a political storm.

The following morning she was informed by her head teacher an official complaint had been made against her and the school was investigating.

Your Local Guardian: UKIP Councillor Richard Hilton

Councillor Richard Hilton: "Not something I expect from a Merton school teacher"

Coun Hilton (UKIP) said: "This complaint relates to a number of comments made by this employee, in particular a series of offensive tweets about Merton residents who attended the UKIP meeting in my ward.

"She referred to them as "foaming at the mouth", she belittled issues such as honour killings, and made political points based on the racial background of people at the meeting.

"Not only, was the individual deliberately misrepresenting those in attendance by referring only to white people at the meeting while ignoring those from other ethnic backgrounds but I also ask what does the colour of their skin have to do with it?

"I do not agree with anyone who engages in political point scoring based on race, this is the politics of the BNP and is certainly not something I expect from a Merton school teacher."

Mrs Schneider said she went along to the public meeting to hear them out and suggest some alternatives.

She said: "When it was time for discussion I challenged some of their views and some people shouted me down but most people were happy for me to speak.

"I never for one second claimed to speak on behalf of the borough of Merton. I said I found it offensive the way some of the children were being described as "immigrants".

"I think it's a mistake to blame the most vulnerable people so I wanted to go and challenge them."

Mrs Schneider has been told by her school to stop using social media while they investigate.


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