Enoch Burke faces paying fine after spending Friday outside school

Fiachra Gallagher

Enoch Burke faces paying a fine of at least €700 after he spent Friday outside on the grounds of Wilson’s Hospital School.

On Thursday, Mr Justice Brian O’Moore ruled that Mr Burke would incur a fine of €700 for each day that he breached a court order restraining his attendance at the Co Westmeath school, unless he purged his contempt of court by 2pm on Friday.

When asked by reporters, Mr Burke was vague as to whether he would pay the fine, but said that he didn’t believe he should be fined for having religious beliefs.

“I don’t believe I should pay a fine to practice my religious belief… I’m putting it in the nicest way,” Mr Burke said, standing at the school gates at the end of the teaching day.

“A fine is a punishment in which somebody is ordered to pay a sum of money for something they’ve done that’s illegal, or a rule that they’ve broken – and I’ve not done anything illegal, I’ve not broken any rules.”

Mr Burke called on Justice O’Moore to “reconsider” his earlier ruling.

“€700 per day to practice my religious belief, that’s not something that a reasonable person, any reasonable person can take,” he said.

“Judge Brian O’Moore has a very important position… in ensuring that that that right is passed on to the next generation, and indeed, my own generation.”

Mr Burke again repeated the claim that fining him was akin to making him pay for his beliefs. He also stated, as before, that a direction from the school to address a transition pupil by the pronoun “they” went against his beliefs.

He did not respond to a question asking if he was worried that the ongoing debacle would disrupt students at the school sitting mock examinations next week.

He was driven away by his father Seán.