West Kildonan Collegiate students call for ceasefire in war

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This article was published 13/11/2023 (700 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

WINNIPEG teenagers left their classes midday Monday as part of a nationwide walkout of high schoolers calling for a ceasefire in the Middle East as the civilian death toll climbs amid the Israel-Hamas war.

Grade 12 student Aliyah Hossack said she wanted to organize local action in support of Palestinians after being bombarded by “horrible videos” — including clips of injured children and overrun hospitals — on social media.

“There’s not much we can really do because of how far it is, but the most we can do is tell everyone and talk about it and post about it and do what we can, which is what we did (Monday),” the 17 year old said.

Approximately 20 students left their second-period classes at West Kildonan Collegiate to take part in the event, which began at about 10 a.m.

It was the latest event held to call attention to the mass casualties occurring in an impoverished strip of land near the Mediterranean Sea — the fallout of Hamas’s Oct. 7 invasion of Israel and the latter’s retaliatory attacks.

“Don’t ignore genocide. Stop WKC from ignoring genocide,” states an excerpt from handouts Aliyah distributed to peers.

Many of those papers were crumpled up and thrown out by staff, she said, adding an administrator told her some students were feeling unsafe as a result of the rally and signage bearing the slogan, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”

Principal Adam Hildebrandt wrote a letter to families informing them about the small protest while noting it was not organized or endorsed by the school.

“As always, our primary commitment remains to provide a secure and welcoming environment for all our students and staff. The safety and well-being of our school community is our top priority,” he wrote.

The leader of the Seven Oaks School Division indicated WKC staff encouraged participants to return inside and engage in dialogue about the matter.

“I want to acknowledge everyone’s experiences and the time and space we all need to process (current events),” said acting superintendent Tony Kreml, adding the division has ongoing work to do with regards to countering both Islamophobia and antisemitism.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

Maggie Macintosh
Education reporter

Maggie Macintosh reports on education for the Free Press. Originally from Hamilton, Ont., she first reported for the Free Press in 2017. Read more about Maggie.

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