A deputy head teacher at an Aberdeen primary school has received an abusive and threatening phone call after an email about calling seasonal cards "winter cards" circulated widely on social media.
The message was sent to families at Kaimhill School, in the Garthdee area of the city, in the first week of October. It was first reported by The Press and Journal on Wednesday.
"To reflect this inclusivity in our communications, we refer to seasonal cards as 'winter cards' rather than 'Christmas cards'," it said. "This terminology helps ensure that our language is welcoming and inclusive of all members of our school community. Of course, families are free to refer to these cards as Christmas cards if they wish."
The email described Kaimhill as "a multicultural and multi-faith community" which would "value and respect the diverse cultures, beliefs and traditions represented within our school", according to the Scottish Daily Express.
The row was soon being covered well beyond Aberdeen, by The Telegraph and LBC among others. On Thursday, The Press and Journal reported that a single post on X containing the screenshot had been viewed more than 1.2 million times, and that the post had been re-shared by Tommy Robinson, described by the paper as one of the UK's most prominent far-right activists. He claimed the decision had been made to be "inclusive to invaders' faith". The school's address was also posted online, with people encouraged to "flood" it with Christmas cards.
Threatening phone call
The teacher who sent the original email then received a phone call described as "abusive and threatening". Susie Webster, the head teacher, condemned "abusive behaviour" towards staff, including intimidation, threats of protest and derogatory comments on social media, in a further email to the parent council seen by The Press and Journal.
"As many of you may be aware, a member of staff referred to these as 'winter cards' in an email to families," Mrs Webster wrote. "This terminology was used because children are offered a range of creative options and not all families within our diverse school community celebrate Christmas. The activity itself remains unchanged, with many children choosing to create Christmas cards as they do every year."
She added: "This was followed by disappointing comments on social media suggesting that Christmas was somehow being removed from our school. I want to reassure you that is simply not the case."
By Thursday, the parent council had limited who could comment on its public Facebook page, after people wrote "Merry Christmas" on posts about unrelated matters.
What the school actually has planned
Despite the change in terminology, the school's Christmas schedule remains extensive. An Aberdeen City Council spokesman told The Press and Journal: "The school community enjoys celebrating a number of festivals and Christmas continues to play a large part in Kaimhill School at this time of year. Activities planned this year include Christmas parties, festive sing-alongs, Christmas lunch, Christmas boutique, Christmas fair, Christmas decorations throughout the school, Christmas crafts, Christmas-themed films and activities, and carol singing."
Mrs Webster told parents: "Given the breadth of these celebrations, it is disappointing that a small adjustment in language has resulted in such a negative response."
Martin Greig, the council's education convener, told The Press and Journal: "It is not appropriate to weaponise Christmas. The event encourages people to come together freely and share goodness and hospitality. Creating unrest and enforcing division amongst people is the opposite of Christmas."
Ian Yuill, the council's co-leader and the Liberal Democrat councillor for Garthdee, said: "The school is not cancelling Christmas and anyone who suggests it is being, at best, mischievous. Nobody deserves abuse, and certainly not the great staff and the volunteer members of the parent council."
'Christmas is not a naughty word'
Angela Ross, the Reform UK MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, said the school's decision would "sow division rather than bring people together".
"What kind of message does this send our children when a British custom is painted in a negative light in the name of multiculturalism?" she asked in comments reported by The Telegraph. "Christmas is not a naughty word and parents and teachers need to do their part to stop it being stripped from everyday school life."
Ms Ross described the change as part of "a wider campaign that is steadily erasing British cultural life from our schools". She also condemned the abuse directed at the school, saying: "The online pile-on against the teacher is misguided and should stop immediately, but we do need to identify the ideologues who bring this cultural vandalism into schools."
Great British PAC reaction
Claire Bullivant, chief executive of Great British PAC, said:
“Christmas is Christmas, and we should never feel the need to apologise for celebrating it. It is part of our Christian heritage, our national identity and the traditions that generations of Scottish families have grown up with.
“Calling Christmas cards ‘winter cards’ in the name of inclusivity is political correctness gone mad. True inclusivity means respecting everyone's beliefs, not quietly removing references to our own traditions for fear that someone might take offence.
“Scotland is a welcoming country, and we can respect other faiths and cultures without watering down our own. There is absolutely no contradiction between the two.
“Let me also be crystal clear. Threatening or abusing teachers is utterly unacceptable. People have every right to challenge decisions they disagree with, but intimidation has no place in a civilised society.
“The school has confirmed that its Christmas celebrations are going ahead, and that is welcome. But this controversy raises a much wider question: why are we becoming so frightened of our own heritage that even the word ‘Christmas’ is treated as something to be avoided?
“At the Great British PAC, we believe our traditions are something to celebrate, not something to conceal. Christmas is not offensive. Our heritage is not offensive. And we should never be ashamed of either.”