Claims that child safety standards breached as Victorian teachers continue pro-Palestine action in schools

The Australian Education Union has been slammed for allowing Victorian teachers to continue pro-Palestine action in schools, claiming child safety standards have been breached.

Victorian teachers have begun action for Palestine. Picture: Instagram

A Jewish safeguarding unit protecting children has hit out at the Australian Education Union claiming it was in breach of child safety standards.

It comes as teachers and school staff will lead a vigil at the State Library on Thursday night to mourn and protest the thousands of children killed in Gaza.

Dr Michelle Meyer, president of Maoz, whose organisation works in partnership with the Jewish Community to protect children, said Education Minister Ben Carroll and the state government needed to enforce stronger child safety standards to protect Jewish children confronted by the AEU’s pro-Palestine campaign.

“The AEU’s Political Campaign is one-sided, harmful, and divisive and threatens the safety and wellbeing of students, especially Jewish ones. It emboldens intolerance and hate and quashes the possibility of safe expression of diversity in schools,” Dr Meyer said.

“The campaign will fuel the dramatic surge in anti-Semitism that has erupted since the Hamas attack … on October 7.”

Pro-Palestine protests have moved from the streets to the classroom. Picture: NCA Newswire / Nicki Connolly

Dr Meyer added: “The AEU’s Pro Palestinian Political Campaign is one-sided and inflammatory.”

“It severely compromises the safety and wellbeing of Jewish students and breaches Child Safe Standard 5.”

She said: “Jewish children no longer feel safe in schools. Maoz has received reports of children and parents hiding their Jewish identity at school for fear of physical or psychological abuse. Other reports include Jewish children being too frightened to attend school.

“Maoz welcomed the Minister for Education’s warning to state schoolteachers against participating in the planned pro-Palestinian advocacy action.

“Maoz calls for action as teachers proceed with the campaign, disregarding the Minister’s warning.

“We are seeking that the government intervene immediately, to stop these breaches of the standards. Failing that, the government will need to consider other regulatory powers.”

Teachers started their pro-Palestine action in schools earlier this week, with platters of watermelon and political flyers spotted in a Victorian staffroom.

The caption reads: “Watermelon platters and flyers informing about the banning of the Palestinian flag after 1967”.

Such action, endorsed by a vote in two regions of the Australian Education Union, was strongly denounced by the Education Minister, Education Department and a wide range of Jewish groups.

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.

The Herald Sun revealed 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.

In a letter to Ms Peace on Tuesday, presidents of Zionism Victoria, Yossi Goldfarb, and Zionist Federation of Australia, Jeremy Leibler, said they were “deeply disturbed” by the proposal for a “Week of Action – Solidarity with Palestine”.

The union, in its promotional flyer, endorses the monstrous libel that this war between Hamas and Israel constitutes a genocide,” the letter said.

“The call to action leaves little to the imagination. If those supporting this initiative have their way, this week, Victorian teachers will teach students that Israel, and its supporters, are responsible for ethnic cleansing.

Jewish leaders have written to Australian Education Union Victorian Branch’s boss Meredith Peace to urge intervention. Picture: Sarah Matray

“The message to educators and, in turn, to students, lacks any balance or context, ignoring all mention of the terror atrocities of October 7, the continued captivity of hundreds of hostages, years of relentless rocket attacks against Israel, and Hamas’s stated commitment to the violent eradication of the Jewish State,” it added.

The letter said students were being bullied for being “Zionists”.

“Swastikas on our streets. Victorians physically assaulted. Violent riots in Caulfield.

“Anti-Semitism always starts with words, and these false allegations are central to the demonisation of the State of Israel and Jews. These are blood libels straight out of the play book on anti-Semitism.”

The week of action, dubbed “Solidarity with Palestine” has been slammed by Education Minister Ben Carroll, labelling it as “inflammatory, divisive action” brought on by a group of inner-city union-aligned teachers.

Mr Carroll said teachers who took such action could face penalties from the Education Department but he was hopeful it wouldn’t get to that.

Protesters gather in front of Flinders Street Station in support of Palestine. Picture NCA Newswire

The flyer, which claims to be endorsed by the inner city and Maribyrnong regions of the Australian Education Union Victoria Branch, encouraged teachers to wear a “keffiyeh (traditional Palestinian chequered scarf) Palestine badge or T-shirt”.

Teachers are also being encouraged to take a photo or short recording holding signs and union banners or flags, host an activity or invite a Palestinian speaker to the school.

Educators are also asked to have a strong social media presence by posting videos and updates of pro-Palestine action.

Although the action is not supported by the Education Union, the Herald Sun revealed a motion of support for the campaign was moved by 25 inner-city and Maribyrnong teachers.

Mr Carroll said the action “only sows more seeds of disharmony in our community”.

“Now is a time for unity,” he said.

“We are calling on all teachers to hold a privileged position to teach the curriculum in the classroom, not to be inviting strangers or political activists in the class.”

Mr Carroll reminded teachers of their obligations to be “unbiased” and not have political agendas.

“This action is divisive and inflammatory and I condemn it,” he said.

He also urged Jewish students to continue attending school.

Opposition education spokeswoman Jess Wilson said the government had taken too long to condemn the flyer.

Ms Wilson said the plan, if actioned, would create more disunity in Victorian schools.

“To have a branch of the Australian Education Union actually put forward a suggestion that teachers should bring this into the classroom, to actually put forward one side of the argument, one side of the conflict and put political activism around that, is simply unacceptable,” she said.

A week of action dubbed ‘Solidarity with Palestine’ has been slammed by Education Minister Ben Carroll.

Education Minister Ben Carroll labelled the call to action ‘divisive and inflammatory’. Picture: Getty Images

“What was very clear from the flyer … this was a political statement.

“In that flyer, there was not one mention of the terrorist organisation, Hamas, committing these abhorrent attacks on October 7. This is incredibly distressing for our Jewish community.”

Ms Wilson said teachers needed to abide by the curriculum and keep their personal opinions out of the classroom.

“Political activism has no place in our classrooms,” she said.

Dozens of schools are set to be the site of pro-Palestinian actions by teachers, including Gleneagles Secondary College, Meadow Heights Primary School, Mount Alexander College, Fitzroy High School, Princes Hill Secondary College Collingwood College, Maribyrnong College, Footscray City College and Northcote High.

It’s expected that Wednesday, the International Day of Solidarity with Palestinian People, will be a focus for action on school campuses.

On Thursday night Greens MLC Samantha Ratnam will be speaking at the State Library at 6pm as part of a twilight vigil.

The protests are supported by a range of Melbourne student unions, including the Northcote High Student Union, which has been putting up posters calling for the end to hostilities against Palestine.

“As much as Northcote High School does not want us to be political, we are and they cannot stop us,” they said in a social media post.

State and private school teachers are also prominent in the Victorian socialist movement which is staunchly pro-Palestine.

Dvir Abramovich, Chairman anti Discrimination Commission, labelled the action a ‘declaration of war’. Picture: NCA NewsWire

A similar motion was moved by 16 members from the Independent Australian Union, which led to a number of teachers from Jewish Schools resigning as members earlier this month.

Other action in schools is inevitable given the strong stance from bodies such as the Australian Committee for Public Education which moved a motion condemning “the genocide being perpetrated against the Palestinian people by the Zionist State of Israel”.

Earlier this month, 700 Australian academics, including those from Uni of Melbourne, Deakin Uni, Latrobe University and Monash University signed a pro-Palestinian open letter protesting the “genocidal attack on Gaza”.

On Wednesday there will be a forum at Melbourne University and on Thursday RMIT staff will hold a “teach-in and wear keyiffeh day”, where staff will wear the traditional Palestinian headscarf.

Anti-Defamation Commission chair Dr Dvir Abramovich said: “This is a declaration of war against Jewish students and a frontal assault on all children.”

“Using schools as recruiting grounds and teachers as weapons to brainwash young people and to promote a toxic and ugly agenda cannot become the normal in Victoria,” he said.

“I welcome the condemnation by Minister Carroll and urge principals to tell their staff that anyone participating in this dangerous incitement and fomenting of hatred will be sent home.”

It comes after hundreds of Victorian students marched through Melbourne’s CBD last week for a School Strike for Palestine rally.

Rabbi Elisha Greenbaum, principal of Yeshivah – Beth Rivkah Colleges, said he would love to believe that any invited speaker to a Victorian classroom would be there for an educational rather than propaganda purpose.

“However, surely a more effective method of expressing empathy is to do what Jewish schools and their teachers are doing; showing concern for those injured and suffering and fundraising for the rehabilitation of those in need, rather than cosplaying with keffiyehs,” Rabbi Greenbaum said.