Primary school cancels Christmas play after backlash to Syrian refugee storyline

The hour-long musical, created by Edgy Productions in 2016, intends to show how some less fortunate children spend Christmas.

But the school has now been forced to axe its plans after it sparked backlash on social media.

Pupils will instead take part in "other festive learning activities" on the lead up to Christmas.

A Highland Council spokesman said: "Following negative feedback on social media, including racist and abusive messages – some of which were directed at the school and staff – the school has made the wellbeing of staff and pupils its main priority.

"Instead of a Christmas show, classes will enjoy other festive learning activities in school.

"Under devolved school management, decisions like this are an operational matter for the school."

Police Scotland said it had received a report of "threatening and abusive communications online" on the morning of November 21.

"Inquiries are ongoing," a force spokesman stated.

In the show, characters Chloe and Henry "witness true hardship as Santa shows them the conditions in which a group of refugee children are living," as stated on the Edgy Productions website.

Among the list of characters alongside "Santa's chief helpers" is a journalist reporting from a refugee camp in Turkey and a Red Cross worker.

Edgy Productions’ managing director, Andrew Oxpring, said he was "shocked and saddened" to hear of the alleged abuse received by staff at Cauldeen Primary.

"The musical production in question was written and published in 2016," he told The Press and Journal.

“It contains a single scene and song about refugees caught up in the Syrian conflict and encamped on the Turkey/Syria border.

"This was international headline news at the time.