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By Aiden Pink October 16, 2019

A substitute teacher at an elementary school in a suburb of London told a class of 10- and 11-year-olds that they had “better finish off your work quick, or I’ll ship you all off to the gas chambers,” the Jewish Chronicle reported Wednesday.

The comment was allegedly made on Thursday in a French class at Newberries Primary School in Radlett, a suburb that is around one-third Jewish. One WhatsApp message in a conversation between parents in the class that was seen by the Chronicle claimed that there was a “high Jewish concentration of kids in the class.” Another message claimed that a student confronted the teacher, who tried to apologize.

Some parents had threatened to withdraw their children from the school unless action was taken, the Chronicle reported.

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“We can confirm that last week we were made aware that an alleged racist comment had been made by an agency teacher working within the school,” the school said in a statement. “We acted on this immediately and our governors and leadership team are undertaking a full investigation. The agency teacher will not be returning.”

The school also said they “are doing everything we can to embrace and celebrate diversity,” and would continue their practice of bringing in different religious group leaders to speak to students.

Aiden Pink is the deputy news editor of the Forward. Contact him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @aidenpink

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