Ontario High School Student Hold Militant Walkouts

Toronto

On November 13, a province-wide walkout was organized by a coalition of 42 high school student groups in Ontario. The students released a statement which read in part:

"We, the students, are walking out to express our outrage at this genocide and to call for an immediate ceasefire. We also expect our school boards to acknowledge what's happening, and to release a statement regarding the genocide in Palestine. We will continue to organize walkouts, not only province wide but across Canada until a ceasefire is called by our political leaders.

"We also demand that a plan is put in place for the following actions -- we will continue to organize actions until a plan is received from school boards across Ontario:

"- We demand that Ontario schools protect Palestinian students, create safe spaces for them, and refrain from censoring and punishing solidarity with Palestine

"- We demand that Ontario school boards (teachers, administration & trustees) receive anti-Palestinian racism training

"- We demand that the history of the colonization and ethnic cleansing of Palestine be included in school curriculums.

"- We demand that Canada stops providing financial, military, and political support to Israel!

"Canada and the rest of the world has failed the children of Gaza and we are incredibly saddened and enraged by the apathy of so many leaders during these times. There's no electricity or connectivity in Gaza, the cries of children are being muted as lsrael tries to hide their war crimes. This is why we are doing this -- we are here to amplify the silenced voices of Palestinian students in Gaza and in Canada. Our political leaders have made Canada complicit in this genocide, and we, as students, will stand on the right side of history."

The students have called a second province-wide walkout for November 23.

Milton

Hannon

Windsor

(Photos: @XjusticeXpeace, Ceasefire Now Ontario, Secondary Students 4 Palestine)

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This article was published in

Volume 53 Number 22 - November 17, 2023

Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/Tmlm2023/Articles/MS532211.HTM

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