Bullying in school over views re Palestine and Lebanon

[AnonymouseQuestion]

My children go to a secondary school that has approx 30% Muslim kids. Many are very politicised over what is happening in the Middle East. My kids have said for a while that it’s impossible to have any view at school other than Israel is evil and is committing genocide. This week my 11 year old came home very upset as a girl had fought with him over something else then returned to the classroom and told everyone that my DC supports genocide. Friends of my DC turned on them and said they were evil, my DC said they didn’t support genocide and the child was cross about something else but people shunned them anyway. I’ve now spent the weekend with my 11 year old constantly asking me whether what’s happening in Palestine is genocide and when I said that was an over simplified and divisive question and it was best not to get into discussions of that at their age my older DC said to their younger sibling “you can’t say that, just agree loudly that it’s genocide at school or you will suffer.”

I then asked my older DC if that sort of thing was common or would be seen in their year group and they said yes. They said that one of their friends once laughed when a Jewish boy fell on the stairs and said “he deserves that as he’s Israeli” when my child said the child wasn’t Israeli just Jewish they were told to shut up and their friend group were encouraged to shun them.

Would you report this to the school? Is it common in other schools at the moment?

@Barbadossunset perhaps you could spend some time reading about colonialism, institutional racism, white privilege and Islamophobia- perhaps something about the history of Palestine too, rather than commenting on Mumsnet.
My white Jewish heritage doesn't show on my face or make any difference to my life. Most brown people have a less positive experience.

cavepainter was your comment meant for me?

I don't think this sort of behaviour is at all new.

In my brother's school in the 80s, the division was between black children and white, with severe violence (broken limbs, knives) for violations of unspoken rules such as sitting in a black girl's seat.

In my school in the late 80s/early 90s I was bullied for over a year by Jewish pupils insisting I was anti-Semitic because the teacher had told me (and two others) to represent the defence of war criminals in the Hague in our debating class ( we had no choice of topic, can't remember the details it was so long ago).

I think you should definitely report your concerns.

@cavepainter

I'd just like to add that I have Jewish heritage

it's comparable to black children laughing at white children.
Anyone can come onto Mumsnet and say they have Jewish heritage and to be perfectly honest many ethnically Jewish people would find what you've just said rancid - I certainly do - so I'm calling bull. And many, many Jews are not white, and as many more are barely white-passing. You've clearly been swallowing some very unsafe doses of critical race theory and should probably see a doctor about that.

And this thread isn't about what you think about the Conflict, it's about safeguarding school kids against antisemitism. Ooops I meant "low level racism", is that what you called it? The way you're justifying antisemitism towards kids is appalling.

Really? There was no right side with regard to the Nazis?

Many many Jewish people are not white or even white passing.

All posts saying or implying that any action against British Jews is justified because of what Israel is doing needs to be reported.

Some posts her are absolutely disgusting. This is children in a school you’re talking about.

Thank you and agree with @CheeryUser

I agree with you.

People need to start bringing their adult brains back online and stop looking at complex issues in black and white.

Your children's school needs to be informed and make a robust response.

I think this is a really good opportunity for the school to address the issue head on. Do some sessions on the situation in the middle east. Try and foster understanding on both sides. The situation is incredibly complex and I think pupils would benefit from some objective accounts of what's happening. It's really difficult even for adults to understand the complexities of what's happening. I'm not surprised kids are seeing it in terms of the good side and the bad side.

“Low Level Racism”

Wow.. Just…. Wow.

Reminded of the lovely French mayor (or STBX mayor) who said G. Pelicot’s rapes were not as bad as other rapes. I guess those were ‘low level’ too.

Wow.......very long winded way to advocate for bullying in school, that's justified because of others crappy actions elsewhere in the world.
Very impressive 👏👌
Let's all race to the bottom shall we????

Yes. Quite.

Well it’s hardly a minority view… so apparently that means it’s ok…

Also, it’s ok for others to be bullied for personal characteristics because others might have generally had worse done to them.

Oh oh, wait, I forgot… but, only if it’s ‘Low Level Racism’ otherwise it might not be ok. 🤔🤔🤔

I have never read such ridiculous posts as what that poster has put throughout this thread!!

Some very strange opinions on here.

Of course it's not okay for a Jewish child, Israeli or not, to be bullied at school. That worse things are happening to children in Gaza doesn't make this okay.

The analogy falls down too, because it'd be equally wrong for a group of black children to laugh at a white child falling over just because that child is white. Historical power imbalances aren't relevant here, what is relevant is that schoolchildren shouldn't be bullying each other, especially over things that the bullied child has no control over, like their race, nationality or religious background. It's not acceptable no matter which group of children is doing it and who the target is.

If you think otherwise, you're not as moral as you believe yourself to be.

Schools should be neutral and impartial places.

Humanity should be the leading value - and that’s the angle teachers should push. Care about human suffering. Recognise that no child in the school has any responsibility or even association with what is happening in the wider world. Zero tolerance for any discrimination of any child for any reason. “Low level” or whatever.

It doesn't matter what else is happening in the world, in this country or the next street - at the end of the day schools should not allow one group to bully others.