Teachers and school staff hold vigil at State Library to mourn children killed in Gaza

A large group of teachers and school staff has gathered at the State Library of Victoria for a vigil to mourn the thousands of children killed in Gaza.

Teachers and school staff gather at the State Library for a vigil to mourn the thousands of children killed in Gaza. Picture: Suzan Delibasic

A large group of teachers and school staff has gathered at the State Library for a vigil to mourn the thousands of children killed in Gaza.

Attendees, who were draped in Palestinian flags and wearing traditional chequered scarves, lit candles and sang songs before the vigil began on Thursday night.

A few held placards saying: “We demand an immediate unconditional ceasefire”.

Sunni, a Palestinian teacher, addressed the crowd saying: “To be told that I cannot express my Palestinian identity and heritage is hurtful and heartbreaking”.

“I am standing against apartheid against genocide. We need to free Palestine,” she said.

Another teacher, who spoke to the crowd, said the Department of Education doesn’t want teachers to be “divisive” and “inflammatory”.

“Do you know what really is divisive and inflammatory?

“The fact that this country … has made me, has made you has made us complicit in a genocide,” she said.

Teachers and school staff at the State Library for a vigil to mourn the thousands of children killed in Gaza. Picture: Suzan Delibasic

Teacher Lou, who was brought to tears while speaking, told the crowd she was sent home last week by her school’s principal after handing out flyers to “recruit” others to join the movement.

“The flyers promoted a week of action where we visibly show support for the people in Palestine,” she said.

The crowd then began shouting: “Shame”.

“I’d like to invite the Department of Education to think about the further distress they are causing to our students by insisting on our silence,” she added.

A large group of teachers and school staff have gathered at the State Library tonight for a pro-Palestine vigil. @theheraldsunpic.twitter.com/g79gzOvgMX

— Suzan Delibasic (@suzandelibasic) November 30, 2023

Brunswick Greens MP Dr Tim Read addressed the crowd defending his colleague Gabrielle de Vietri after she sparked outrage when she turned up wearing a Palestinian scarf to an event on Wednesday afternoon, which called for the immediate release of Israeli hostages.

“You may not have all seen a little story in the Herald Sun about my colleague Gabrielle, who was accused of wearing a keffiyeh outside of a function held in support of Israeli hostages and their families in parliament last night,” he said.

“In fact, what happened was she got out of the lift and was there she didn’t really intend to go to this function.”

The crowd shouted “shame”.

Gabrielle de Vietri of the Victorian Greens in parliament. Picture: Supplied

Greens leader Samantha Ratnam also spoke to attendees saying: “Some of the greatest lessons I ever learnt was from my teachers who brought their values and their passion and their kids into the classroom”.

“I can’t thank you enough for caring about people who might seem so far away from your everyday reality, but I can tell you that those people are being impacted right now through one of the most horrendous acts of cruelty and violence,” she said.

A vigil is held to mourn the thousands of children killed in Gaza. Picture: Suzan Delibasic

School student Artemis told attendees that another student rally was being planned for Thursday, December 7.

“We’re striking again, to show our solidarity with Palestine,” he said.

“I encourage all of you to cancel your classes and march with us,” he added.

The crowd then began chanting: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”

It comes after educators began pro-Palestine action in schools earlier this week, with platters of watermelon and political flyers spotted in a Victorian staffroom.

Teachers and school staff were encouraged to wear keffiyehs in the classroom and invite Palestinian advocates to their school in a bid to show solidarity against the war in Gaza.

Jewish leaders wrote to the Education Union requesting them to “urgently intervene” over the move.

Some of the speakers at Thursday night’s vigil included Greens leader Samantha Ratnam and secondary school teachers, who have joined the pro-Palestine movement.

Teachers and School Staff for Palestine member Lucy said: “Teachers, school staff, students and supporters will mourn the thousands of children and teachers killed, the schools destroyed, and every life lost in Gaza. We will stand together to demand a total end to Israel’s aggression against Palestinians.”

Teachers shared posts of their pro-Palestine action in schools.

“The state government has tried to silence teachers and school staff and shut down our week of action in solidarity with Palestinians. But we won’t be silent in the face of genocide — not in the classroom, and not in the streets,” she added.

“We will use our teacher voices to demand that our governments, both state and federal, end their diplomatic and military relationships with Israel while it conducts the occupation, the mass displacement and the threats to resume bombing Gaza. Let Gaza’s children live.”

The Herald Sun revealed this week that AEU boss Meredith Peace was at a meeting held on November 23 in Fitzroy North at the Lord Newry Hotel, where the “inflammatory” vote was passed.

A similar motion was passed on November 22 at the Maribyrnong region meeting.

Greens leader Samantha Ratnam tells the crowd: ‘Some of the greatest lessons I ever learned was from my teachers’. Picture: David Crosling

Zionist Federation of Australia President Jeremy Leibler said the so-called “Teachers and School Staff for Palestine” were “rightly condemned” this week by the state government for proposing to teach their hatred of Israel to young Victorians.

“They proposed to teach students that Israel and its supporters are genocidal – it’s a clear breach of their professional obligations, and their overarching obligation to keep students safe, Jewish students too,” Mr Leibler said.

“Let’s be clear that this ‘teachers’ group is just another backyard attempt at astro-turfing by the hardcore activist core in Melbourne – teachers and schools shouldn’t have a bar of it.”

Anti-Defamation Commission chairman Dr Dvir Abramovich said: “I would not want to be a Jewish student of any teacher who attends this vigil and I would not blame any parent who insists that their child not attend any lesson delivered by these so-called educators.”

“The teachers who participate in tonight’s hate-fest, which does not care for the Israeli children murdered, have violated and betrayed every tenet and code they have sworn to uphold and should reconsider their role in the education system,” he said.

Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin said: “We deplore the manipulative and sinister nature of these campaigns.”

Originally published as Teachers and school staff hold vigil at State Library to mourn children killed in Gaza