Judges today ruled that one of Britain's most successful faith schools had racially discriminated against a 12-year-old boy who was refused admission because the school did not recognise him as Jewish.Tut Tut, it's not nice to be racist.........
In a landmark legal decision, supreme court judges found that the Jewish Free School, a comprehensive in north-west London, had broken the law by refusing to admit the boy, a practising Jew known as M.
It had denied him a place because it has twice as many applicants as it can take and prioritises children whose mothers are recognised as Jewish by the Chief Rabbi.
M's mother converted from Catholicism to Judaism under a non-Orthodox authority, meaning the Chief Rabbi does not recognise her as Jewish. He only recognises children as Jewish if he recognises their mothers as Jewish.
The boy's father took the school to court, claiming racial discrimination. In June the court of appeal ruled in his favour, saying the school's policy amounted to racial discrimination because it prioritised applications from children with Jewish mothers.
The school appealed, taking the case to the supreme court. Critics said today's ruling would mean secular judges are deciding who is Jewish and who is not. (sorry but, LOL)
The ruling will lead to children who apply to one of the UK's 50 Jewish schools having to sit religious practice tests to ensure the schools are not discriminating against them on ethnic grounds.
Lawyers said it was the most controversial ruling since the supreme court was created in October.
The judges ruled, by a majority of five to four, that the school had "directly discriminated against M on grounds of his ethnic origins" and was in breach of the Race Relations Act.
Reading out the judgment, Lord Phillips, the president of the supreme court, said: "The supreme court has dismissed the appeal by the governing body of JFS.
"The majority held that JFS had directly discriminated against M on grounds of his ethnic origins." SOURCE
4 years ago
