A group of “concerned parents” from Canada’s Eden High School have launched a petition to get rid of the school’s Iron Maiden-loving principal, arguing that the imagery associated with the band is *checks what year it is* “satanic”.
Principal Sharon Burns is a proud Maiden fan, who has regularly displayed her love of the band on social media.
And it seems, a group of offended mums and dads think she’s doing the devil’s work.
A change.org petition entitled Eden High School Principal, Sharon Burns, Needs To Be Transferred Immediately! reads:
“As concerned parents with impressionable children at Eden High School in St. Catharines, Ontario, we are deeply disturbed that the principal assigned to the school blatantly showed Satanic symbols and her allegiance to Satanic practices on her public social media platforms where all the students can see them under @edenprincipal (not her personal account). Our school is based on inclusion, and openly displaying Satanic symbols (on a public social media platform) that directly goes against the principles of the vast majority of families who represent the school, is not inclusive. As parents we are demanding her transfer to another school. Please replace her with another principal who aligns with the values of the families at Eden and will not sabotage the teaching or upholding of those values and will not try to introduce impressionable students to Satanic practices or symbolism.”
Following some backlash, the “concerned parents” group have offered an update, clarifying that their issue isn’t with Iron Maiden itself, but with the use of the number ‘666’ and other so-called “satanic symbolism”:
“Please Note: This petition is NOT about Sharon Burns’ love for Iron Maiden. At NO POINT has it ever been. This petition is about a principal of a school openly displaying her OWN handmade sign with the 666 clearly displayed on it which she knows full well what that SATANIC SYMBOL means to the vast majority of families in her school AND she put it on a PROFESSIONAL, public @edenprincipal account on social media, NOT A PRIVATE ONE, which she very easily could have done. If she had not posted a picture of her own handmade 666 sign, this petition WOULD NOT EXIST. Nobody cares what band she likes and this is not about her choice in what she listens to. That would be petty and nonsensical.”
At the time of writing, the petition has accrued just over 500 signatures. Meanwhile, a counter-petition dubbed We Need Mrs. Burns has copped more than 16,000.
It reads:
“Recently, there has been a petition going around to “remove” the principal of eden high school. It is ridiculous that a couple of parents only judge her role as a principal only based on an instagram post. (About liking the band Iron Maiden. That’s it.) Eden High School is a public school. Not a Christian school. If you somehow don’t like the principal of your child, grandchild, relative etc.’s school, then send them to another one. The principal has made so many efforts to remind students that eden is a diverse place. She has even turned a whole room into a prayer room for students who are practicing religions other than christianity, like practicing Islam. She has made eden a safe space for so many people. She spreads nothing but love and kindness, and is probably one of the best and most enthusiastic principals the school has ever had. If you would like to bring some light to this whole petition, please consider signing!”
Of course, it’s not the first time Iron Maiden have been accused of so-called satan worship. Their 1982 album The Number of the Beast was widely targeted by religious groups.
Turns out, not that much has changed in 40 years!
