Brighton Secondary principal Richard Minack says prevalence of antisemitic behaviour was ‘pretty low’ at the school

A principal being sued by five Jewish ex-students over his handling of bullying claims says he never saw the offensive symbol at the school.

Brighton Secondary principal Richard Minack is being sued by five Jewish ex-students over his handling of bullying claims. Picture: David Crosling

A principal has told a court he “declined” to apologise to a Jewish student who said he had a knife held to his throat amid antisemitic bullying in the schoolyard.

Brighton Secondary principal Richard Minack – being sued by five Jewish ex-students over his handling of bullying claims – told the Federal Court he had no knowledge “whatsoever” of repeated complaints by Liam Arnold-Levy of physical attacks and racist behaviour, which prompted the student to leave the school in 2015.

Mr Minack confirmed he had a meeting in March 2016 with Esther Meltzer, who worked at private Jewish school Leibler Yavneh College, and Mr Arnold-Levy who was seeking “closure” over his claims of schoolyard violence, seeing swastikas “everywhere”, and having a knife held to his throat by a group of boys in the toilets.

“She asked me to make an apology for those experiences that he experienced,” Mr Minack told the court of Ms Meltzer.

“I declined to make that apology … these are unsubstantiated allegations so unfortunately I’m not in a position to apologise for them.”

Mr Arnold-Levy earlier told the court he “ran” to the administration office and demanded to see the principal after a knife was held to his neck when he was in Year 9 and was told his message would be passed on.

Former students involved in the case Liam Arnold-Levi, Matt Kaplan and Joel Kaplan. Picture: David Crosling

But there was “no follow up, no questions, no response” and “no reaction to the fact a student brought a knife to school”, he earlier said.

Asked if he had any knowledge about the bathroom attack allegation, Mr Minack said “none at all”.

He said wellbeing staff, classroom teachers and assistant principals had chain of command for student welfare and issues.

Mr Arnold-Levy, brothers Joel and Matt Kaplan, Guy Cohen and Zack Snelling are suing Mr Minack, two other teachers and the State of Victoria over antisemitic bullying they said they faced at the school between 2013 to 2020.

The students – who all left Brighton Secondary – claim that saw swastikas “everywhere” in the classrooms and toilets and were subjected to antisemitic taunts and violence.

But Mr Minack, who served as assistant principal before getting the top job in mid-2015, told the court he saw “none, none at all” of the offensive symbol, now outlawed, around the public school.

Asked about an incident where a student drew a swastika on his finger and directed it to Matt Kaplan, who reacted “pretty violently” according to Mr Minack, he confirmed he approved a suspension for Matt while the other boy only got a detention.

“We can’t have students delivering their own justice,” he said, claiming there was “no particular intent” of the boy who drew the swastika.

But he was prompted to address the “scourge” of antisemitism at year level assemblies after Zack Snelling’s mother complained in 2019 that her son was being bullied “every couple of days” with taunts he should pick up money and go in a gas chamber.

“Another day in paradise,” his mother told the principal.

Mr Minack said the “prevalence of antisemitic behaviour was pretty low” at the school. Picture: David Crosling

Answering questions from his lawyer Chris Young QC, for the State of Victoria and its staff, Mr Minack confirmed receiving some reports about swastikas around the campus, but said he more commonly saw “graphic tagging” and “male genitalia on desks and in the toilets”.

“One or two tables might have had a doodle on it or a graphic tag, most of our tables are clean.”

“I never observed a swastika on a table,” or anywhere else, Mr Minack said.

He did receive a report about a swastika in the senior toilets and said, “I can recall instructing people to remove it immediately.”

“The prevalence of antisemitic behaviour was pretty low,” he said.

Mr Minack is expected to be cross examined by barrister Adam Butt, for the students, on Friday as the hearing continues before Justice Debra Mortimer.