The brother of Enoch Burke, a teacher embroiled in a debate over transgenderism and freedom of speech, was removed from an event with Republic of Ireland presidential hopeful Catherine Connolly on 1 October.
Elijah Burke, a law student at the University of Galway, asked a question about his brother's imprisonment and freedom of speech before being interrupted by fellow students and removed by Gardaí, the Irish national police.
Enoch Burke has been jailed multiple times for contempt of court after refusing to stay away from Wilson’s Hospital School in County Westmeath, where he had worked as a teacher. The dispute began when Burke refused to address a student by their chosen pronouns and sought clarity from the headteacher regarding the school’s policy. Burke was suspended pending a disciplinary review, but continued to attend the school, resulting in an injunction. He ignored the court order, leading to several periods of imprisonment. He is currently serving his third prison sentence after being found on school grounds in August 2024.
In a video widely circulated online, Elijah Burke can be seen asking Connolly, “What do you have to say to my brother who has been incarcerated for his beliefs on transgenderism?”, before students begin to interrupt him and prevent his continuation.
Elijah, who was elected to the University of Galway Students’ Union council in a class representative election with about 60% of the vote, also ran for president of the students’ union but lost. His campaigns have largely centred on freedom of speech in the University setting.
He is part of the Burke family, known in Ireland for their strong evangelical beliefs, and who have been involved in multiple legal cases and protests across the country.
The Herald spoke to Martina Burke, Elijah’s mother, but she was not familiar with the particulars of the events.
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