Organisers of Brisbane pro-Palestinian call for students to lead march in school uniform

Jewish leaders have condemned the call for school students to ‘wear their uniform and lead’, saying it is nurturing antisemitism.

Palestinian Supporters march through Brisbane calling for a ceasefire from Israel. Picture Lachie Millard

Organisers of a pro-Palestinian rally in Brisbane on Sunday have called for school students, teachers and education workers to “wear their uniform and lead” a planned march in a move condemned by Jewish leaders as nurturing anti-Semitism among teenagers.

A flyer for the “Rally for Palestine” in Brisbane has been circulated online by three groups – Justice for Palestine Meanjin, Brisbane Stands with Palestine and Queensland Muslims Inc – with the appeal for the march through the city’s CBD.

“We call all students, teachers and educations workers to wear their uniform and lead this weeks March,’’ the flyer said.

The planned rally follows Thursday’s pro-Palestinian demonstration in Melbourne, dominated in number by hundreds of school students who had skipped class, and a planned “school strike” protest in Sydney on Friday.

Students at the Melbourne protest shouted “free free Palestine” and “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”, a chant viewed by the Jewish community as a call to destroy Israel.

A poster promoting a Rally for Palestine in Brisbane on 26th November 2023

The call for students to wear uniforms and lead the march is understood to be part of plan this week to hold “themed” rallies across the country to draw attention to the plight of children in Gaza, which has undergone heavy bombardment since the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack in Israel.

Hamas terrorists killed 1,200 people and dragged 240 hostages into the enclave.

Since then, Israel has bombarded Gaza City, ordered the evacuation of the entire northern half of the enclave and around two-thirds of the strip’s 2.3 million Palestinians are homeless.

More than 14,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to the territory’s Hamas controlled health ministry, since the terror attack, with many being children and civilians.

Queensland Jewish Board of Deputies President Jason Steinberg condemned organisers of the Brisbane rally over their call for students to lead the march in uniform.

“This is abhorrent and just like Hitler Youth of the 1930s, it looks like Queensland schoolchildren are now being infected with the world’s oldest form of hatred, antisemitism,” he said in a statement.

“This does nothing except foster propaganda and hatred against Jewish Queenslanders – particularly our school students

“It’s clear that the plan now by Queensland groups is to recruit young Queenslanders into the ‘antisemitism team’ and spread more hate.’’

Mr Steinberg said the rally in Melbourne, where one young person was quoted as saying Hamas was “doing a good job” and Israel “shouldn’t exist”, was an example of anti-Semitism was being encouraged among youths.

“We do not want to see hateful, antisemitic and factually wrong language used by Queensland schoolchildren, who likely do not understand what their language means,’’ he said.

“For instance, the slogan chanted at these rallies includes: From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free. This is a clear genocidal message from Hamas, a prescribed terrorist organisation, calling for the removal of all Jewish people from the State of Israel.

“We need strong leadership to speak up and say: this is not acceptable – that hate has no home here in Queensland.”

Queensland Education minister Grace Grace has been contacted for comment.

Organisers of the rally have also been contacted for comment.

Palestinian-Australian man in Brisbane Omar Ashour, said this week’s march is in response to the bombing of a UN affiliated school in the Jabalia Refugee Camp.

“We’re inviting school students because children are being killed in Palestine, It’s something very relevant,” Omar Ashour said.

“Last week the theme of the rally was about health professionals because of the attacks on the hospitals and the killing of medical staff.”

“Many of those who died in Israeli bombardments are schoolchildren, that’s why it’s important they know what is happening.”

“The Israeli government is trying to paint the whole Palestinian cause as anti-Semitic and Australian-Israeli leaders are just trying to parrot that.”

“I don’t know if they are parroting what the Israeli government is saying, but that is what it seems like.”