Protesters to clash outside Prahran High School over pro-Hamas teacher Jason Wong

Two rival groups of protesters will descend on Prahran High School on students’ first day back following a teacher’s controversial comments at a pro-Palestine rally.

A protest will be held outside Prahran High School on students’ first day back to support a teacher facing a misconduct complaint

Two groups of protesters will clash outside an inner-city school on students’ first day back in response to a teacher facing a misconduct complaint after he praised Hamas at a pro-Palestine rally.

Jason Wong, who is a VCE science and biology teacher at Prahran High School, told a crowd of thousands of protesters in Melbourne’s CBD last month that “Hamas was doing exactly what they have to do”.

The Herald Sun can reveal that Mr Wong has been stood down from teaching at the school, pending an investigation into his conduct by the Department of Education.

A group called The Unsilent Majority have planned a protest on students’ first day back on Wednesday at 1pm.

Jason Wong said ‘Hamas was doing exactly what they have to do’.

“Join our unsilent protest and demand to know how the Department of Education and Prahran High School are allowing Jason Wong to continue ‘teaching’ our children,” the post said.

In response to this action, another group, Unionists For Palestine, has planned a counter-protest outside the school on the same day to “say no to Zionist harassment and silencing and to stand in solidarity with Jason”.

“The Department of Education is pursuing a complaint of misconduct against Jason in response to his pro-Palestine activism,” the group wrote on Instagram.

In a further statement from the group linked to its Instagram page, it said: “Jason made the point that many others, including the Secretary-general of the UN, have made – that there is a context for Hamas’ violence on October 7, and without this context the history of the oppression of Palestinian people remains untold.”

The Department of Education is aware of the protests and was working proactively with Victoria Police to ensure there is no disruption to the school.

A Department of Education spokesman said schools should not be used as sites for political demonstrations.

“We continue to remind all staff in government schools of their professional obligations and the importance of ensuring all in our school communities are treated with respect, understanding and sensitivity,” he said.

Opposition Education spokeswoman Jess Wilson said Hamas was a terrorist organisation and the open endorsement of a recognised terrorist organisation by a Victorian secondary school teacher should concern every Victorian.

“These views cannot be permitted to infiltrate our classrooms,” Ms Wilson said.

“The pending investigation into this teacher’s conduct must be finalised by the Department of Education this week before students return to the classroom.”

Zionist Federation of Australia president Jeremy Leibler said: “We rely on teachers to guide our children, but this teacher is abusing his position of influence.”

“Parents don’t want it brought into the classroom,” he said.

“It is offensive to all Victorians in an already tense environment where anti-Semitism is on the rise.”

Jewish Community Council of Victoria chief executive Naomi Levin said the council’s priority was making sure that all Jewish students returning to school this week can do so safely and free of harassment.

“While the conduct of the teacher involved has caused serious concern, we have been informed that he is being investigated by the Department of Education. We await the outcome of this investigations” Ms Levin said.

“According to parents at the school, Prahran High School’s principal and school leadership are taking necessary action to prevent any protest action impacting students.

“There is no place for inflammatory protests or demonstrations outside any school.”

Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin said: “Anyone who thinks mass rape, murder, torture and abduction is ‘exactly what someone has to do’ is unfit to teach and mentor our children.”