Protestors have gathered outside the hearing of a teacher and British National Party member accused of religious intolerance.

Adam Walker, a former soldier and karate expert from Durham, could be the first teacher to be struck off the register for religious intolerance if found guilty by the General Teaching Council (GTC).

The 39-year-old technology teacher left Houghton Kepier Sports College in Houghton-le-Spring, near Sunderland in 2007 after it was alleged he used a school laptop to contribute racist and religiously intolerant views to online discussions during lessons.

The alleged incident, in which he is said to have criticised Muslims, homosexuals and asylum seekers, is said to have happened between February and March 2007.

Gordon Bell, the school bursar and Tim Bateson, the IT strategy manager at the school will give evidence to the GTC this morning.

Protestors are gathering outside the GTC’s offices in Birmingham for a demonstration against the teacher and the BNP, backed by Labour and Liberal Democrat city councillors.

In a statement, also signed by Clare Short, MP for Ladywood, the councillors said: "Birmingham is famous as a vibrant multicultural city composed of people from many parts of the world. The BNP wants an exclusively white Britain and is led by a person who has denied the Holocaust and who now blames Muslims for Britain's problems."

Simon Darby, BNP spokesman accused the councillors of "meddling in matters that are not their concern".

Mr Darby added: "They are basically trying to get someone the sack because he does not support their political views, and that has got to be wrong."

Mr Walker, who is the president of Solidarity, a trade union closely associated with the BNP, is being represented by Patrick Harrington, general secretary of Solidarity.

He was first hauled before the teaching watchdog in November. But the hearing was adjourned after Mr Harrington successfully argued that the presence of Judy Moorhouse, a former president of the National Union of Teachers and a “known opponent” of the BNP, could prejudice the trial.

In a five-page judgment, the original GTC committee accepted that it would be "inappropriate" for Ms Moorhouse to continue to sit in Mr Walker's case.

Police officers, some wearing riot gear, were deployed outside the previous hearing after dozens of BNP supporters and anti-fascist activists gathered in Birmingham's Victoria Square outside the offices of the GTC.

Mr Walker’s brother, Mark, lost an appeal against his sacking from Sunnydale College, Shildon, County Durham. Mark Walker, also a technology teacher, is accused of accessing the BNP's website during school hours. Sunnydale Board of Governors upheld a decision to terminate his contract owing to ill health.

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