Rita Panahi: Jacinta Allan fails test on divisive rallies in school hours
Whether it’s protesting climate change or raging against the only democracy in the Middle East, no responsible adult should want children skipping school to become the useful idiots of political activists.
Rita Panahi
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Premier Jacinta Allan has failed a test of leadership.
It was incumbent upon the Victorian premier to clearly and unequivocally state that students should not to be taking part in divisive, ill-advised political rallies during school hours.
Whether it’s pushing catastrophist climate change prophecies or protesting against the only democracy in the Middle East, no responsible adult should advocate, or equivocate, the merits of children skipping school to become the useful idiots of cynical political activists.
But instead of delivering the simple message that schoolkids are expected to be in school on a school day, Premier Allan initially defended the rights of students to protest on consecutive weeks.
“Being able to come together and hold a rally, a peaceful rally, depending on the issue that you’re concerned about or the issue that you’re exercised about, that’s a fundamental principle of our democracy that must not and should not change,” she said.
A mealy-mouthed response from Allan at a time when real leadership was required.
Under pressure, the Premier has this week moderated her position but the damage is done.
If children feel that strongly about Middle East politics then surely they can protest after school or on the weekend.
After all we’ve had pro-Palestinian, or to be more accurate anti-Israeli, protests every weekend in Melbourne for the past six weeks.
What makes the premier’s failure all the more grievous is the climate of fear and hostility that has been allowed to take hold in Melbourne with many Jewish families living in fear, hiding signs of their Jewishness including sending kids to school without a kippah or uniforms bearing the insignia of Jewish schools.
Did the Premier consider how Jewish children in state schools may feel when they have classmates missing on Thursday because they’re attending an anti-Israeli rally?
Will kids bring the type of ugly bigotry we’ve seen at these rallies back to school?
The Jewish community has called on the Premier to take stronger action with thousands signing an open letter detailing why the ‘Free Palestine’ rally will “heighten conflict in our broader community and increase fear among our youngest Jewish community members”.
Good leadership requires strength and moral clarity and on this issue the Premier has displayed neither.
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