Schoolboy suspended after teachers brand his rap video insulting his mate’s cricket skills a hate crime
The year 10 pupil - predicted As and A*s in his GCSEs - "called out" a friend for being bad at cricket and playing X-Box all day
A SCHOOLBOY who made a light-hearted video of him rapping about his friend’s cricket skills was suspended after it was labelled a HATE CRIME by teachers.
Owen Whitney, 14, was given a three-day ban last Thursday after they took issue with the clip where he "called out" a mate for being bad at cricket and playing X-Box all day.
The video was part of a rap battle trend going around his school where youngsters post videos about each other in a bid to provoke responses.
Owen's parents Emma and Alan Whitney said their son was singled out as the ringleader because his video was the first to appear online and he was suspended for three days.
Emma, 38, said: "He went into school as normal on Thursday, but during his first lesson he was pulled out and spent the day sat outside teachers offices."
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Emma added: "They gave him a piece to write about hate crime and why it was wrong.
"Since then I've had a letter from the school which has changed what they are accusing him of from a hate crime to bullying.
"The school say they have a zero tolerance policy to bullying.
"But that's not true as Owen has been targeted on social media in the past and when he has gone to the school to report it they said there is nothing they can do because it is outside school."
The craze has been adapted from grime artists using "callout" videos to mock each other through their rhymes.
"Yeah, you think you're good at cricket. Just 'cos you got one person out when you hit the wicket.
"When you bat I can't help but laugh. You can't hit the ball, you're absolutely ****."
Owen, from Shirebrook, Mansfield, said: "Everyone is doing them at the moment and basically one of my mates darred me to do a video of me rapping.
"We asked the lad who we were calling out if we could do it and he said it was fine.
"I did it six weeks ago so to suddenly be pulled out of lessons and made to write a piece on hate crime is quite demoralising.
Mum-of-five Emma added: "There's nothing generally offensive in it, and they haven't even complained about my son's, but about someone else's.
"They called it a hate crime - for me a hate crime has got to be saying something like 'I'm going to kill you' or something racist hasn't it?
"There's nothing like that. It's just a bit of banter."
Emma said it was unfair that Year 10 pupil Owen, who is predicted As and A*s in his GCSEs, had been excluded for the video that took place outside school time, away from the school and while he was not wearing school uniform.
She added: "We have been told if we now take him to school before Wednesday someone from the local authority may be there and we will be fined.
"He has been given some booklets and some bits to read and maths sheets to do but basically he will have to teach himself for the next two days."
Dad Alan, 48, added: "It's absolutely pathetic - I'm flabbergasted.”
All Saint's Catholic Academy has been approached for comment.
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