Last July, a video about the Israeli occupation of Palestine, which was created by a high school student for his civics class a few years ago, was removed via pressure from the Ontario education minister due to accusations of it being antisemitic and biased. The York Region District School Board removed the video from the online class’s curriculum, bowing to false and harmful assumptions that Palestinian perspectives are considered controversial in classrooms. The video was recently shown again in an Ottawa classroom for discussion in a social studies class on global issues, which was met with the same response and the Ontario government once again removed the video.
The Palestinian Youth Movement condemns this blatant act of historical erasure and complete distortion of facts. As Palestinian experiences are constantly stifled in educational and academic spaces, we affirm that children and youth should be allowed to discuss issues in classrooms pertaining to the Israeli occupation and colonization of Palestinian lands.
The Palestinian Youth Movement thereby calls on the Ontario government to reverse its anti-Palestinian stance and cease targeting Palestinians. With the recent adoption of the IHRA working definition of antisemitism by the provincial government, a document that is being weaponized worldwide to falsely brand legitimate criticism and protest of Israel as hatred toward Jews, anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian sentiments are escalating.
We also call on the respective school boards and all concerned personnel to allow the video of the presentation to be made available to all students. Anti-Palestinian racism like this is on the rise in Ontario. Palestinians and our allies must be granted the right to speak freely and safely about our own histories and experiences, whether for a school project, or during a class debate.
Palestinians in Ontario and the rest of Canada are a large community and our identities are consistently subjected to attack. The Ontario government’s actions send a direct message that Palestinians are deemed second-class citizens. Not only is this a violation of Palestinian speech, this also impacts a large division of the population whose work revolves around the occupation.
The Ontario government has attempted to repress freedom of speech on critiques of Israel and has subsequently told Palestinians and allies that their voices don’t matter in Canada. If Palestinians are not allowed to discuss Israeli human rights abuses and their experiences of oppression, then Ontario has failed to provide students with an education system that fosters analytical thinking and the provision of historical facts.
Palestinian Youth Movement - Toronto Chapter