Students protest outside NSW high school following teacher’s rape comments

Students at a NSW high school have called for a teacher to be fired after they claimed she made controversial comments about rape.

Students protested outside a NSW high school yesterday and called for one of their teacher’s to be sacked after they claim she made controversial comments about rape.

Year 10 students Reece Hill, Natalia Nikolic, Marnie Holl and Ngara Kennedy organised the protest outside Swansea High School in the Lake Macquarie region after they say their teacher suggested what a woman wears impacts whether she will be raped.

A video of the discussion drew public outrage after being posted on Facebook.

Students told news.com.au they were learning about the 1950s and comparing how fashion had changed when the teacher brought up the story of a girl who was recently raped in Newcastle and was blamed for what she was wearing.

“Right after this my teacher proceeded to say how she needed to be held accountable for what she was wearing that night,” the student said.

“She got incredibly angry, said my generation knows nothing, that I needed to learn, and that rape victims cannot 100 per cent victim themselves.”

Screenshot from a video during a heated school classroom debate at Swansea High School. Picture: Facebook.

In the video one of the students, Ms Hill, tells the teacher: “It doesn’t matter what she’s wearing, there was a lack of consent regardless … she said no.”

“Yeah, it does, no it does, it does make a difference and that’s why your generation doesn’t understand,” the teacher can be heard saying.

Students interject in the heated classroom debate before the teacher again says, “It does matter — I’m not saying you need to dress to suit what other people want …”, before the video cuts off.

More than 50 people gathered outside the school gates yesterday to call for the teacher to be fired and to push back against rape culture.

One of the organisers, Ms Nikolic, said they were not protesting to attack the school, but rather push back against this kind of harmful rhetoric.

Natalia Nikolic (with microphone) and Ngara Kennedy (right) talk at the protest.

The students made signs and banners to protest outside the school.

“She didn’t really know the people in her class. She didn’t know what they had been through or if anyone had been raped or abused as a child and it wasn’t right of her to say,” she said to the crowd of protesters.

“Coming from someone who has had close friends abused or raped growing up it is a touchy subject.”

Ms Hill, the student who was filmed pushing back against the teachers comments, said the incident was “disturbing” but they wanted to use it to push for change.

“We want to use the platform that we have been given to make a positive change and leave our mark,” she said.

“Our goal is to stop rape culture being taught. We want to start with utterly removing it from schools with young impressionable minds.

“We want to make sure that no one has to feel the way that my peers and my myself did that day.”

The video of the incident was posted to Facebook on Wednesday and has since received more than 900 comments and been shared 1200 times.

Students in the class claimed they were threatened with suspension after the video was shared online.

Students at Swansea High School supporting the protest.

A spokesperson for the NSW Department of Education said the matter was being investigated and the teacher was not currently at the school.

“The department does not tolerate bullying, violence or anti-social behaviour of any kind in government schools,” the spokesperson said.

“The school involved will continue to support students including the provision of counselling if required.

“NSW schools are safe places where students and staff are held to high standards and are encouraged to care and respect themselves and others, be responsible for their behaviour and act with integrity, empathy, fairness and compassion.”

The department’s school operations deputy secretary, Murat Dizdar, said the alleged comments from the teacher were completely inappropriate and “strongly rejects any assumptions relating to a rape culture in any school”.

“We expect respectful conduct from students, staff, and school community members and will support anyone who brings disrespectful or harmful behaviour to our attention,” Mr Dizdar said.