Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan must take a strong stand against students attending rallies

It’s disappointing that Jactina Allan has left it up to schools to monitor if students attend potentially violent pro-Palestine rallies when every effort should be made to prevent them being radicalised.

The state government, schools and parents should resist all efforts to radicalise the students of Melbourne and lure them into rallying for the Palestinian cause.

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan must take a strong stand on this issue and urge students not to be co-opted by outside groups for their own purposes.

Rather than affirming the democratic right of school students to protest, she should be insisting that teachers do not encourage attendance and school campuses are not used to disseminate rally fliers and social media posts.

It’s disappointing that Allan and Education Minister Ben Carroll have left it up to schools to monitor the attendance of students at such rallies given the possible risks involved.

Students must be reminded that these rallies are not an appropriate place for children. Picture: Brendan Beckett

It is also reckless for MPs such as Greens leader Samantha Ratnam to be supporting such events and suggesting students should be praised for wanting to attend.

Ratnam is being grossly irresponsible in suggesting such a vehicle for potential violence is an action for peace.

So far at least two protests have been planned for students. One, organised by students for Palestine Victoria, will be held outside the US consulate on St Kilda Rd on Friday at 1pm. The other event, organised by Free Palestine Melbourne, is due to take place the following Thursday and involves a school walkout and rally on the steps of Flinders St. Students will then be involved in a “secret protect action” at 1.30pm.

Students considering attending need to be reminded that these are unlikely to be peaceful events and are not an appropriate place for children.

Samantha Ratnam is being grossly irresponsible in suggesting such a vehicle for potential violence is an action for peace. Picture: David Crosling

Students may hold legitimate concerns about the impact of the Israeli actions on civilians in Gaza, but school walkouts and city rallies are not a safe place for them to be.

If the recent protest in Caulfield is anything to go by, students attending such events could be inadvertently involved in violent anti-Israeli actions.

It’s unlikely that those organising them will present the actions of Israelis against the backdrop of the barbaric actions of Hamas and the slaughter of 1400 innocents.

Idealistic, well-meaning students attending these events may not fully appreciate the wider political perspective and the ramifications their actions may have on Jewish students.

Anti-Semitism has once again appeared in Victorian educational institutions and the wider community and, as ever, must be strongly resisted.