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A teacher has been forced out of work after an online hate campaign was launched because she is a Sinn Fein councillor.

Her union rep said the woman has not been back to the Boys Model in North Belfast since a Facebook campaign started and graffiti appeared claiming she is not wanted at the school.

Sinn Fein MLA Chris Hazzard slammed the “sectarian targeting of a Catholic School teacher” and blamed the Protestant Coalition.

The group’s Facebook page had a message on it stating: “Today a member of the Protestant Coalition phoned the Boys Model school and talked at length with one of the assistant heads regarding Catherine Seeley a Sinn Fein activist teaching in the school.”

The message added that the school “declined to give any other information regarding her for private reasons”.

The message also said that “we like the parents who send their children to the school care about the children’s welfare and education and if this teacher is an obstacle to their success, then she should be removed at once”.

The message was followed by a number of comments including one person who said “I don’t want my son to take part in any of her classes”.

Gerry Murphy, from the INTO union, condemned the attack labelling it a “totally uncalled for attack” on a woman “described by her own Vice Principal as a fantastic teacher”.

He added: “I can’t tell you how upset she is and how angry I am. I thought we’d moved beyond this sort of thing.”

Mr Murphy said the teacher “is extremely distressed at what’s going on here”.

He added: “This girl is only interested in carrying out her professional duties, she’s committed to this profession, she’s committed to these children and this assault on her on a social media site, and indeed in graffiti on a wall close to the school today, is all uncalled for.

“At the minute I think she’s pretty concerned for her career, pretty concerned about the impact this is going to have on the children she teaches.”

Chris Hazzard added that no teacher “whatever their beliefs or religion, should be singled out and targeted in such a way”.

He said: “It is now high time for Unionist political leaders to face down these rejectionist elements and come out to strongly defend the right of people to live and work free from sectarian harassment.”