Police probe online campaign against principal

Police are investigating a vicious online attack against a new Christchurch principal.

Burnside High School principal Warwick Maguire, who took up the job last November, has been targeted by a group called "I Hate Burnside's New Principal!!!" on social networking site Facebook.

Some of the group's 202 members have posted threatening and defamatory comments about Mr Maguire and criticised changes he has made to the school, one of the country's largest, The Press reported today.

Senior Sergeant Pete Stills, of Papanui, said although no official complaint had been received, the school had made police aware of the site, and police were investigating the online comments.

He said the comments could be defamatory, offensive and seen as inciting someone to commit violence. "People need to be very careful about what they say in a public domain."

Mr Stills said he wanted to talk to Mr Maguire before deciding what action to take.

Mr Maguire, 54, was on leave and could not be reached for comment yesterday.

He went to Burnside from Wanganui High School, where he had been principal since 1994.

Burnside board of trustees chairman Conan Fee said it was unfair that people could publish unsubstantiated and misinformed comments on the internet. "There is no real way for us to censor that directly."

Internet safety group Netsafe's executive director, Martin Cocker, said teachers and principals were the target of many offensive comments on social networking sites.

- NZPA