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NewsPrimary teacher who tweeted pro-IRA messages agrees to be struck off

Primary teacher who tweeted pro-IRA messages agrees to be struck off

A CATHOLIC primary teacher who glorified the IRA in a series of Tweets has agreed to be banned from the classroom.

Anne-Marie Clements, who called herself the “Provo Princess”, was convicted at Paisley Sheriff Court last year of posting the “grossly offensive” messages and fined £600.

Clements, who also lost her job at St Mark’s Primary in Barrhead, East Renfrewshire, has now consented to be struck off the teaching register.

Clement’s selfie with Nicola Sturgeon

Clements, 25, tweeted the messages under the name @x___annemarie in November and December 2015.

In May last year the sheriff court heard that she wrote “Every day’s a RA day” together with a picture of a crouched, masked man carrying a rifle.

The words on the picture said: “When you’re having a republican kind of day.”

Another tweet, posted before before Celtic played Dutch side Ajax, she wrote: “Come on Celtic! This is the one. Get intae these Sons of William of Orange b****** Ronnie’s Fenian Band.”

The teacher, in an apparebt reference to the then Celtic manager Ronnie Deila, also wrote: “Roaming in the gloaming with Ronnie’s Fenians.”

Another tweet, accompanied by an image of masked gunmen walking she wrote: “Am already in this squad but”

The P7 teacher’s remarks were emailed her school by another Twitter user.

Her twitter account, which had over 3,300 followers, and since been deleted. It featured photos with former Celtic star Anthony Stokes and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

The General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) today (wed) posted a notice of the removal with consent hearing scheduled to take place tomorrow.

The notice said she “did post material on to the twitter page…that was grossly offensive or of an indecent, obscene or menacing character”.

The material, said the GTCS, “contained sectarian remarks and remarks and images in support of a terrorist organisation, namely the Irish Republican Army (IRA)”.

The GTCS notice said the teacher breached the Communications Act and that the offence was “aggravated by religious prejudice”.

It concluded: “And in respect of the above offence, you were on 11 May 2016 sentenced to a fine of £600.”

Clements could not be contacted for comment.

St Mark’s Primary in Barrhead, East Renfrewshire.

In December last year secondary school teacher Victoria Amie Orr was handed a “Reprimand with Consent Order” by the GTCS after she was found to have posted comments referring the IRA on Twitter.

The teacher, who was employed at Park Mains High School, Renfrewshire, at the time was found to “have innappropriate comments” on her Twitter page and made comments referring to pupils as well references to the terrorist group.

She admitted her fitness to teach was “impaired” and waived her right to a full hearing, accepting the reprimand imposed by the teaching watch dog.

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