(BBC) A petition defending a teacher who showed pupils a “deeply offensive” cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad has gathered more than 44,000 signatures.
The staff member was suspended after protests were held outside Batley Grammar School.
Some had demanded the teacher’s sacking and accused the school of failing to take the issue seriously.
The petition said the teacher “does not deserve such large repercussions” and should be reinstated.
The organisers behind the online petition claim to be students at the West Yorkshire school.
They said the teacher “was trying to educate students about racism and blasphemy” and was “not racist and did not support the Islamophobic cartoons in any manner.”
