'Concerns Mount Over Rising Exclusion and Discipline Issues in Australian Schools'

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Students and teachers across Australian schools are being discriminated against for displaying images of watermelons in what authors of a new report say are just some of the many examples of a “crisis” of anti-Palestinian racism they documented.

The report conducted by academics and released by the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN) on Friday, documented instances of discrimination towards students, teachers and school staff who displayed support for Palestinians.

It analysed the testimonies of 84 respondents in the wake of the Hamas-Israel war and found that discussion of the Occupied Palestinian Territories was repressed in some education settings, and people who showed support for Palestinians or culture were disciplined or penalised.

A man wearing a hat is offering watermelon pieces to a young boy.

Watermelons have become a frequent symbol of display at pro-Palestinian protests in Australia, including flags and supporters handing out the fruit. Source: AAP / Jeremy NG

“While many schools celebrate multiculturalism in their community, the racism directed towards Palestinian people during multicultural celebrations was significant and resulted in their exclusion or punishment,” the report said.

Watermelon images banned in some schools

In one instance documented in the report, a secondary school teacher was “profiled” and called into a meeting for allegedly wearing a watermelon badge. The teacher had “had a panic attack” and left the meeting about their badge “in tears”, the report said.

In another instance, the parent of a Victorian pre-schooler said their three-year-old child was scolded by another mother for allegedly wearing a watermelon bracelet and a keffiyeh — a Palestinian scarf.

One educator described creating a poster with a heart-shaped watermelon and a printed message: “This classroom is a safe space for everyone” and in smaller text: “Free, Free Palestine.”

The poster, was placed next to others which supported the LGBTIQ+ and First Nations communities, and two watermelon slices on the window. However, it was taken down just two days after complaints from another staff member, with the educator being informed that it did not comply with the department’s code of ethics.

Another described it as “distressing and intimidating” after being told by their school principal to remove “a Palestine sticker” and a watermelon badge from their clothes.

The report also documents educators being forced to remove the Palestinian flag — in one instance for it to be replaced by the Israeli flag — while discussion of the issue of Palestinians was shut down by school authorities who said it would make others “uncomfortable” or “offended”.

The report also documented several cases where teachers and education staff were disciplined and forced to remove the keffiyeh.

A woman holding a Palestinian flag reading "teachers for Palestine" at a protest.

The report said many students and teachers experienced punitive disciplinary measures, such as banning, confiscating and excluding for displaying symbols of Palestinian solidarity. Credit: Dam Himbrechts

A Sydney school staff member, Wasim El-Haj, “was called into the principal’s office and asked to not wear his keffiyeh during school-theme days aimed at celebrating multiculturalism”, the report said.

‘Hatred towards Palestinians prevalent’

The report also documented cases where school students were allegedly attacked for speaking Arabic or displaying Palestinian symbols.

In one instance, the report states a student with an Israeli flag in a Victorian public school walked up to a Palestinian child, telling them they “can’t wait to help the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) go kill Palestinians in Gaza”.

The report also documented a Palestinian student being allegedly attacked for speaking Arabic by a Jewish student. “In this case, the assailant claimed the Palestinian student was speaking Arabic to ‘piss them off’,” it said.

“These accounts show that incitement of hatred towards Palestinians is prevalent in Australian schools,” the report’s authors said.

“The perpetuation of harmful, dehumanising stereotypes and anti-Palestinian racism continues unaddressed across educational institutions.”

The report made a number of recommendations to address what they said was a “crisis of anti-Palestinian racism” — including educational institutions developing strategies to combat the issue. But first, it said, education leaders should acknowledge anti-Palestinian racism is a “significant problem”.

The report also said educational institutions should “uphold the civil and political rights of their education communities in the face of ideological pressure”, including introducing policies and guidelines.

APAN president Nasser Mashni said government and institutions must “urgently focus on First Nations social justice in schools as a way of addressing all forms of institutional racism”.

“This report is the first of its kind to examine the way that anti-Palestinian racism, and the climate of fear, censorship, intimidation and punishment it engenders, is experienced by students, teachers, non-teaching staff and members of school communities across Australia.”