A college in Yorkshire has removed Christmas and Easter from its staff calendar for fear of offending ethnic minorities.
Instead, the holidays will be referred to as “end of term breaks” in order to “increase inclusion and diversity”, say senior managers at Yorkshire Coast College in Scarborough, North Yorkshire.
A spokesman said: “All employees at Yorkshire Coast College are encouraged to closely follow guidelines set out by Ofsted for the promotion of equality and diversity. We constantly review the ways we communicate to ensure we do not discriminate.”
But the move has been branded “barmy” by Conservative MP for Scarborough and Whitby, Robert Goodwill.
“We are a Christian country and, to be honest, religious tolerance in this country is about respecting other people’s religious beliefs. We live in a country where there is a mutual respect for religious beliefs,” said Mr Goodwill.
He added that people are “petrified that they offend the minority but what they are actually doing is offending the majority. It’s political correctness gone mad and I am disappointed that it’s from an edict from Ofsted.”
Last month, councillors in Tower Hamlets, East London, were told not to eat in town hall meetings during the Muslim month of Ramadan, even though the same council has renamed a staff Christmas party as a ‘festive meal’ and banned Guy Fawkes at bonfire night.