Fear over Melbourne school strike protest

More than 6000 members of Melbourne’s Jewish community have written an open letter to Victoria Premier Jacinta Allan, urging her to strongly ­oppose a controversial School Strike for Palestine.

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan. Picture: Getty Images

More than 6000 members of Melbourne’s Jewish school community have written an open letter to Victoria Premier Jacinta Allan, urging her to strongly ­oppose a controversial School Strike for Palestine planned for this week, warning it will heighten division and increase fear among Jewish schoolchildren.

The strongly-worded letter, signed by 6359 parents, students, school principals and members of the Jewish community said such a rally involving complex geopolitical issues amounted to the exploitation of children by the anti-Israel movement.

Ms Allan has refused to oppose the rally, saying every person had a democratic right to protest, although she said she would prefer that students attended school instead. By contrast, NSW Premier Chris Minns has opposed a similar School Strike for Palestine scheduled for this week.

But the letter urged the Premier to take a “clear, forceful stance” against the rally, saying it will “only heighten conflict in our broader community and increase fear among our youngest Jewish community members, our children”.

“Is the ‘Free Palestine’ rally truly concerned with hearing the voices of schoolchildren, or is it about the mass exploitation of children to advance their cause? What effect will this rally have on Jewish school students, ­especially in the schoolyard?” the letter states. “We are extremely troubled about the way in which children are being used by the anti-Israel and anti-Zionist movement through their sloganisation of complex geopolitical issues.

“Children have enough to deal with, they don’t need to be on the streets protesting an issue so complex that most adults can’t comprehend the nuance.”

The letter said the rally would widen social division over the issue and could lead to discrimination and physical or psychological harm for Jewish schoolchildren.

Coalition education spokeswoman Jess Wilson said the matter was clearly an important issue for the Jewish community and the Premier should not ­facilitate or condone the rally, which is scheduled for Thursday.

“With the concerning rise in anti-Semitism in Melbourne, to the point where Jewish school students are being told not to wear their uniforms to school, we don’t need school students being encouraged by professional activists to skip school to attend a strike about an incredibly complex conflict in the Middle East,’ Ms Wilson said.

The walkout has been ­opposed by federal Education Minister Jason Clare and Coalition counterpart Sarah Henderson.