Parrs Wood cancels event

A school-based charity event organised by a group with links to Hamas has been cancelled following consultation with anti-extremism experts from the Department for Education.

Human Appeal International was due to run a women-only social evening at Parrs Wood High School, in Didsbury, south Manchester, tomorrow evening.

HAI claims to work with the victims of "poverty, social injustice and natural disasters" in 27 countries, including the Palestinian territories, Afghanistan and Iraq. But it is also on the US State Department's list of charities linked to terrorism.

Parrs Wood had received complaints from Manchester's Jewish community and pro-Israel activists about its renting of a room to the group.

Experts from the DoE's Preventing Extremism unit spoke to headmaster Andrew Shakos to remind him of impartiality guidelines.