Heavy metal loving St. Catharines principal under fire for satanic imagery

A St. Catharines high school principal’s love of heavy metal music has gotten her into hot water with some members of the school’s community, while others have rallied to support her.

A petition on change.org calls for Sharon Burns of Eden High School to be transferred after the principal posted a photo on Instagram showing the mascot of the band Iron Maiden holding a hand-drawn sign that reads “666”.

The symbolism of 666 is generally regarded as indicating support for Satan in pop culture and is represented on the Iron Maiden record The Number of the Beast.

As of this afternoon (Oct. 10), 541 people have signed the petition calling for Burns’ ouster.

According to the petition, people are not upset about the principal’s love of heavy metal, but rather the use of satanic symbolism.

“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,” the petition reads.

Burns could not be reached for comment and the Instagram post in question has since been deleted.

However, after the original petition appeared, a new one has popped up on change.org that shows overwhelming support for Burns.

So far, 17,739 people have signed on to say “We need Mrs. Burns” in the counter petition.

The new petition defends her right to make her own musical choices and says Burns has turned the school into a safe haven that supports the beliefs of diverse communities.