Singing KPop Demon Hunters songs banned at Poole school

A school has banned singing songs from hit Netflix KPop movie Demon Hunters over fears they are not in line with its “Christian ethics”.

Lilliput Church of England Infant School in Poole, Dorset, sent a message to parents on Friday saying some members of the community feel “deeply uncomfortable” with references to demons.

He said this was because they “associate them with spiritual forces opposed to God and good.”

In an update on Monday, headteacher Lloyd Allington said he had since received feedback from parents, highlighting positive messages in the songs, but said the school was looking to support those who found the themes “challenging”.

KPop Demon Hunters became Netflix’s most-watched movie in August and follows the adventures of fictional K-pop girl band Huntr/x as its three members use their music and fighting skills to protect humans from demons.

It also features a rival group made up of five demons called the Saja Boys, whose song lyrics cover themes including temptation and seduction.

In the initial message sent to parents, the school asked them to encourage their children “not to sing these songs at school out of respect for those who find the themes contrary to their faith.”

But one parent told the BBC: “I thought it was ridiculous. My daughter really likes K-pop and she and all her little friends love it.”

He said they did presentations at after-school clubs.

“It’s a harmless, nice thing they can do to boost their confidence,” he said.

He describes himself as an atheist and said it felt like “a bit of an imposition and probably a bit unfair and silly.”

She said nothing like this had happened before and praised the school overall, but felt she had been pressured to make the change.

In Monday’s update, headteacher Mr Allington said the school had received feedback from parents saying that songs, such as the 10-week UK number one single, Golden, had helped their children learn about teamwork, courage and kindness.

It continued: “While we fully respect your right to make decisions about the content your child interacts with at home, we also want to be aware of the diversity of beliefs within our school community.

“For some Christians, references to demons can be deeply uncomfortable because they associate them with spiritual forces opposed to God and goodness.”

He added: “We are not asking parents to tell their children that there is something wrong with enjoying the film or its songs if they align with their own views and beliefs…

“Our role will simply be to help children understand that some of their peers may have different views and explore how we can respect and support those peers in defending their faith.”