Educating Toronto Schoolchildren in Social Justice
"We're here today because the Toronto District School Board has failed to protect our children, and they must all be relieved of their duties.""Teachers put children as young as eight years old in harm's way.""Countless pro-Palestinian rallies have resulted in violence and arrest. Everyone has seen these protests.""No normal person would think to bring their children to such a place. Yet, teachers, administrators, principals of the Toronto District School Board did."Amir Epstein, executive director, Tafsik Organization, Jewish advocacy group
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"Freedom of speech does not mean you can say what you want, when you want, especially in front of children.""Our city needs the growing talent that comes out of our school system and not brainwashed and indoctrinated children who have been taught conspiracy theories and hateful tropes."Toronto Councillor James Pasternak"My daughter's school was plagued last year by swastikas in the bathroom. My son was silenced in his class for talking about his identity as an Israeli and as a Jew, and I'm deeply concerned.""I think that the antisemitism is only growing in the school board, and any amount of attention that we're giving to it, it's not working."Talia Leighton, mother of TDSB student
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| Some parents of TDSB middle school students are angered after learning their kids participated in a "field trip" to a political protest downtown that devolved into an anti-Israel demonstration on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. Photo by Supplied |
A week ago students attending 15 different schools within the Toronto and District School board were taken to observe a protest in downtown Toronto against mercury contamination affecting a First Nation community in Dryden, northern Ontario many decades ago; an issue of dreadful environmental contamination affecting the lives of people that has never been adequately addressed or remediated.
Parents of students whose schools signed on to the trip to be bused to the Grassy Narrows River Run march were informed their children would be present there as observers on an educational human-rights and justice basis. Since that event, videos began surfacing on social media showing some of the youthful march participants chanting pro-Palestinian slogans such as "From Turtle Island to Palestine, occupation is a crime". As it happened, once at the event, the children were carefully coached on what to say and how to react.
Parents reacted with disbelief and many in anger, posting their comments on social media. The school board apologized, informing parents it was undertaking a review of future procedures in field trips. Ontario Premier Doug Ford, stating that children should not be present at protests, but should be present at school to learn math, spelling, geography and history, instructed his education minister to investigate the event. Premier Ford went so far as to call the event a "Palestinian rally", with specific teachers setting out to indoctrinate children.
City Councillor James Pasternak noted that teachers had nothing to comment on when civilians were killed in Yemen, Syria, as well as Turkic and Uyghur groups in China who were being 're-educated'; anything involving Jews and Israel, he pointed out, brings protesters out to the streets to "demonize Israel and the Jews". Emails showed that parents had been instructed to have their children dress in blue to portray them as "settlers".
"This field trip is an educational opportunity for our students to learn about Indigenous activism, environmental justice and human rights"; children would "not be participating in the rally itself", parents were informed. Ontario public sector unions promoted the demonstration. In attendance, as it turned out, were those calling for Israel's destruction. The Palestinian Youth Movement, explicitly pro-terror -- handed out candy at rallies in celebration of the October 7 terrorism -- publicly urged its members to attend.
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| The Star |
Tuesday evening saw a group of parent protesters in front of the school board headquarters, demanding that the TDSB fire those who were responsible for arranging and planning the field trip. One mother, Esther Mordechai, founder of Canadian Women Against Antisemitism, characterized the field trip with its anti-Israel overtones as reflective of a broader trend, comparing the situation in Toronto schools to Nazi Germany in the 1920s and 1930s.
"It makes you angry, but I'm used to it, because this is an ongoing issue in Toronto and District School Board. this is nothing new. It's just got worse. That's all."
As for the Elementary Teachers of Toronto, one of the protest organizers, no apology was forthcoming since, as they averred, the event fit within their mandate of "social, environmental and racial justice. We see the vilification of links made between solidarity movements on Turtle Island (which portrays Canada as an illegitimate colonizer, usurping Indigenous populations from their traditional lands) and Palestine." They were in concert "with many other unions, community organizations and concerned people from across the city".
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| Participants hold an anti-Israel banner while taking part in a Sept. 18 march in Toronto billed to be in support of the First Nations of Grassy Narrows Indigenous community in northern Ontario. (Socialist Project/YouTube) |
Labels: Blatant Antisemitism, Demonizing Israel and Jews, Educational Jaunt, Toronto and District School Board
posted by Pieface @ Friday, September 27, 2024
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