Philip Zajac, President of the Jewish Community Council of Victoria responds to yesterdays student rally in Melbourne CBD:
Yesterday hundreds of Victorian school and university students attended a rally in the city, with the organisers intending to “disrupt business as usual in the CBD and wreak havoc.” It is of great concern that radical university activists are enlisting and indoctrinating young students. The continued use of the chant “From the river to the sea…” is a call for the genocide of the Jewish state, and for this to be allowed and encouraged is deplorable. Sadly, these students will return to the classroom with extreme ideologies, instead of a nuanced understanding of the complexity of the situation. These rallies continue to further division within our society, and sow fear in the Jewish community, especially Jewish students and teachers who will sit in the classroom with these protesters.
JCCV President Philip Zajac reiterated “Students will return to school having been exposed to one-sided and extreme propaganda. This will likely impact the neutrality and safety of their classrooms. We urge school teachers and school leaders to work to ensure classrooms do not become a space for the dissemination of extremism.”
Should any parents or students have any concerns, please contact the office on 9272 5566 or email community@jccv.org.au
For media inquiries, please contact the JCCV on +61 3 9272 5566 or email community@jccv.org.au
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