Gay teacher in Berlin reports bullying by Muslim students
A primary school teacher in Berlin’s Moabit district says he endured a year and a half of bullying by students after coming out as gay.
Oziel Inacio-Steh, a 43-year-old assistant teacher at the Carl Bolle School, can no longer perform his duties, suffers from panic attacks, and is undergoing psychological treatment.
According to the Süddeutsche Zeitung, 95% of the student body at Carl Bolle School comes from migrant backgrounds. The situation began about 18 months ago when Inacio-Steh came out to his students and brought his “husband” to a school event. Since then, he has faced ongoing verbal abuse and threats.
Students frequently insulted the teacher, calling him “disgusting” and “unclean.” Some refused to accept food or drinks from him and threatened physical violence. Muslim students reportedly shouted that he was a “disgrace to the family,” would “go to hell,” and was a “disgrace to Islam.”
The situation worsened when, according to Süddeutsche Zeitung, the school administration failed to protect Inacio-Steh from harassment. After complaints from parents and a dispute with a colleague, school officials accused the teacher of inappropriate behavior toward students and filed a police report.
Allegations included making comments about students’ clothing and allegedly forcing them to eat or drink. He was also accused of sitting too close to students on the floor while showing them videos on his phone.
As previously reported by the UOJ, nearly half of schoolchildren in Austria’s capital identify as Muslim.
