The Irish Court decided this Wednesday (3) to keep professor Enoch Burke in prison for failing to comply with a court order that prevented him from entering Wilson’s Hospital School, the school where he worked in County Westmeath. According to information from the newspaper Irish TimesJudge Brian Cregan, of the High Court of Ireland, stated, during a prison review hearing, that Burke will remain detained during the Christmas period – when some prisoners receive temporary release – and will only be able to leave prison after “committing” to comply with the decision that vetoed his presence at the school.
Burke has been detained at Mountjoy Prison since the end of November for, according to authorities, “repeatedly violating” the order banning his access to the school campus.
The Burke case began in 2022, when the management of Wilson’s Hospital School advised that a student be addressed by a new name and a neutral pronoun. At the time, Burke refused to follow the school’s guidance for religious reasons, which led to his suspension and the beginning of disciplinary proceedings. Even suspended, he continued to attend the institution, which motivated the court to issue the removal order that was later disobeyed. He has already been released and arrested again several times for failing to comply with the order.
During Wednesday’s hearing, Burke maintained that he is not in contempt and maintained that his arrest is linked to his religious convictions. According to the Irish Timesthe judge rejected this interpretation and stated that the detention occurred solely because Burke failed to comply with the court order, which remains valid.
Local media reported that the High Court set a new review date for Burke’s arrest for March 3, but noted that the teacher could be released earlier if he decides to comply with the court order preventing him from returning to school.
