OP-ED: DEI activist excuses anti-Israel hate at TDSB student field trip
Sue-Ann Levy writes, "It’s not surprising that assigning an anti-black racism activist to review a field trip turned anti-Semitic hate fest would lead to the toxic events being completely whitewashed"
Author: Sue-Ann Levy
It’s not surprising that assigning a DEI and anti-black racism activist to review a field trip turned anti-Semitic hate fest would lead to the toxic events being completely whitewashed.
That is exactly what has occurred in the 51-page report submitted by Patrick Case last December (!) — and finally released a week ago — on the Grassy Narrows River Run field trip of last September.
The Indigenous field trip — attended by 535 Toronto District School board (TDSB) students as young as eight from 19 schools — was supposed to be a chance for students to learn more about mercury poisoning in the Grassy Narrows community.
Parents were assured that students would observe only, not participate. But it quickly spiralled into a rally during which anti-Israel propaganda proliferated and students were pressured to march and chant, “From Turtle Island to Palestine, occupation is a crime.”
Estimates were that 8,000 people were present, making one assume that it was uncontrolled environment which saw the attendance of activists and social justice groups, who apparently also took the stage.
Case claimed that “From Turtle Island, to Palestine, occupation is a crime” chant only lasted 30 seconds to one minute from the stage and only five reported hearing it. And over eight hours, the pro-Palestinian chants only took up approximately five minutes, he said.
I didn’t know that attendees at a rally carry a stopwatch but as far as I’m concerned any chants like this were 10 minutes far too long.
He contended that he gleaned this from the students he interviewed, which was “corroborated by teachers, students and parent volunteers” at the rally. But he also admitted that no Jewish teachers who attended wanted to speak to him for fear of repercussions.
So here alone his observations are extremely one-sided, let alone his insulting dismissal of anti-Semitic rhetoric and behaviour.
He also contended that a subsequent march with Indigenous youth to Queen’s Park was described as “safe,” “positive,” “enjoyable” and “peaceful.”
Here I thought students were only supposed to observe!
While Case described the excursion as largely “uneventful” he said there were two occurrences of the anti-Israel chant and several dozen individuals wearing keffiyeh, pro-Palestinian watermelon insignia and buttons or stickers with such messages as “I’m a proud anti-Zionist” and “Free Palestine.”
He adds that students from two schools reported seeing a button with “Zionism Kills” which “they viewed” as expressing anti-Semitism.
Not Case mind you.
I would only ask how the activist — who seems to think Jews are not worthy of concern because they are oppressors in his CRT language — would feel if he observed buttons that said “I’m proudly anti-black” or some of the protesters were outfitted in Ku Klux Klan robes.
How would he react if he was handed a button that said, “Indigenous people kill.”
He did concede that it was “unethical” for students to be urged to repeat the chants, although he never characterized them as hateful.
With the utmost of gall, he railed against those on social media and in the MSM who he said fanned the “flames of outrage.”
As is predictable with a DEI consultant, he claimed that most parents felt the event was of “great educational value” and that students strengthened their understanding of social justice concepts.
He denied that teachers and principals knew beforehand that the Indigenous event would turn into a protest against the war in the Middle East—and that there was no “evidence of a conspiracy” that demonstrators would express a message that differed from the event’s purpose.
Case’s attempt at gaslighting is beyond insulting..
Of course we know that anti-Semitism and pro-Palestine indoctrination is rampant in the board, perpetuated by radical lefty teachers and their unions.
What exactly did we think would happen when several thousand social justice warriors turned up, many blatantly anti-Israel.
Yet this is where his report really got messed up.
He took aim at the TDSB’s senior leadership for apologizing for events “exaggerated in social media” or which he said did not take place. He alleged that apologizing gave credibility to the notion that being in a space with Palestinian supporters is “something to be sorry about.”
He also claimed, outrageously, that the board cancelled an excursion to another Indigenous event which was perceived as “anti-Indigenous racism in the board” and the “silencing of Indigenous voices.
Then — as is also predictable with leftist anti-oppression and DEi activists— he said the entire review speaks to a “human rights-based erasure of the Palestinians’ existence in and outside of schools.”
He claims that the Palestinian parents he spoke with are angry that if their children express their identities at school and concerns for their Gazan relatives, they are “reprimanded as supporters of Hamas.”
For heaven’s sake, this review was about the blatant anti-Semitism at the event but Case, like a true race-baiter, made it about Indigenous and Palestinian folks.
A spokesman for the SOSTDSB group said they find it “disappointing that yet again “no one will be held accountable.
"These teachers did not act in the best interest of their students. The minute they knew they were in the middle of a geopolitical rally they should have taken students back to the safety of their schools,” the spokesman said.
I was right when I wrote last October that I couldn’t think of a worse fit than Case to review the events when then education minister Jill Dunlop announced his appointment.
Heaven knows how much he made to produce this crap.
Not only has he been a huge part of the problem — having introduced critical race theory and DEI ideology into the Ontario curriculum when he came to the ministry under Kathleen Wynne—but he likely swayed ministry officials from conducting a much-needed review of the Richard Bilkszto tragedy.
But aside from the blatant whitewashing of anti-Semitism in the board — which has only enabled it further — what the hell is the board doing sending students as young as eight years old on a field trip like this?
They should never have gone but seeing as they did, once the teachers saw that events were out of control, the kids should have been pulled out of there lickety split.
Or has the TDSB management made them so afraid to do their jobs, they’ve lost all sense of professional judgement?
Despicable & unaccountable for their anti Semitism activism. They knew ahead of time and any who didn't should have removed the children immediately upon realizing how they had been duped. Clearly this was nothing to do with indigenous studies & outrageous that children were subjected to political activism and dangerous protesters, since these pro Hamas activists are known to become violent. Unbelievable that once again no one will be held accountable and instead will dismiss the concerns of parents as over reaction.