Counsellor sacked over clip 'had to look up what misogynistic meant' 

A female counsellor who is suing an all-girls Catholic school after being sacked over a video said she 'had to look up what misogynistic meant' after posting a clip that saw her views 'compared to Andrew Tate'.

Gozen Soydag, 37, was working at St Anne's Catholic High School for Girls in Enfield, north London, when teachers learned she was posting her views on traditional marriage to public Instagram accounts, which currently have more than 30,000 followers.

She is suing the school at an employment tribunal for wrongful dismissal, harassment, discrimination and breaches of her human rights on the grounds of her Christian beliefs - which the school denies.

Watford Employment Tribunal heard Miss Soydag was asked to delete a video of a woman in a headscarf describing living in submission to her husband.

In the controversial video, which was played to the tribunal, the woman said: 'My husband is my boss' and 'I chose this man to be the king in my life and yes, I agree with everything he says and I do everything he says.'

In a witness statement, Miss Soydag said assistant headteacher Jo Sanders told her: 'If a man were to say what the women had said, it would be misogynistic' and that the content was 'provocative like Andrew Tate'.

Headteacher Emma Loveland is also said to have told Miss Soydag her posts 'promoted 18th century teaching'.

Miss Soydag said: 'I still don't fully understand what's wrong with it. I understand someone is offended by it.

'My ministry is preparing people that want to be married as a wife. There were concerns it was misogynistic. I had to look up what misogynistic meant.'

In documents setting out its defence to the claims, the school said: 'Miss Soydag did not appear to understand Ms Loveland's concern for the impact on the girls in the school's care with whom the claimant had one to one contact.

'She also appeared not to realise or understand that her social media posts and widely distributed views contradict the school's mission statement and ethos and could therefore potentially undermine pupils' and parents' trust and confidence in her ability to effectively deliver pastoral services in line with the school's mission, and may discourage pupils and parents from engaging with pastoral support.'

It said the school's mission was to provide an education that 'prepared the girls for the 21st century' and that the school's population was 'diverse' with single parent and blended families, and students of different races and faiths.

The school said: 'This promotion of the nuclear family as the only acceptable type of family was potentially harmful to the students and their families and did not reflect the views of the school.'

Questioning Miss Soydag today, Liz Cunningham, representing the school, said: 'She made clear to you a parent had said this is what they considered to be 18th century teaching, and 'I have sent my daughter for 21st century teaching'.

'It does matter if it's a complaining parent, doesn't it?'

Miss Soydag said: 'To me, it doesn't matter.'

She added: 'It's possible the children would find [the video]. Even if they did find it… to me that's very fitting with the school's ethos and mission statement. Even if they did see it, it was very much in line with the school's Catholic faith.'

She said she took the video down off one of the accounts as a 'goodwill gesture', adding: 'I was taken aback. I still don't fully understand what's wrong with it. I understand someone is offended by it.

'My ministry is preparing people that want to be married as a wife. There were concerns it was misogynistic. I had to look up what misogynistic meant.'

Giving evidence, Ms Sanders said they were 'alerted to the online posts by students'.

She said: 'Any new teacher the students will Google your first name and last name.

'We are talking about eleven to 19-year-olds. Whatever you are putting out there it needs to be appropriate for that age group.

'Our students are young women getting ready to take part in society and they do not need to submit to anyone. They follow rules, they do not need to submit.

She added: 'The only reason she's asked to take the posts down was because she would not change her settings so the general public couldn't see it.

'If Gozen had agreed to make them private so that people requested to follow her I wouldn't have had this conversation.'

In its defence of the claims against it, the school said Miss Soydag was given 'ample opportunity' to remove the posts and make her accounts private but 'failed or refused to do so'.

It said the posts were 'so diametrically opposed' to the beliefs of the school that it had 'no real alternative option' but to dismiss Miss Soydag.

The hearing continues.