Extent of antisemitism in Victorian schools revealed

2 hours ago 1

WARNING: DISTURBING CONTENT

Students have been caught performing Nazi salutes, drawing symbols and telling peers to “go back to the Holocaust” in a series of antisemitic incidents recorded in Victorian classrooms.

More than 30 antisemitic incidents were recorded between January and mid-December 2024, according to a document provided to The Age.

Incidents of antisemitism are on the rise in Victorian schools.

In one reported incident, a student said they could breathe better because “they don’t have gas in their lungs” compared with a Jewish student.

In another, a student performed the illegal Nazi salute twice and said: “Heil Hitler.” The child was sent home that day, and later suspended.

Other students who engaged in hate speech, used banned symbols or salutes were also temporarily suspended from school as punishment, and in many cases, teachers and parents had meetings to respond to the behaviour.

The details of the schools and the students were redacted from the document, seen by The Age.

It is the first time such data has been collated by the Department of Education.

Education Minister Ben Carroll said every Victorian student deserved to feel safe and respected, and any form of antisemitism and racism in schools was unacceptable.

“These words and actions rooted in discrimination are not just hurtful, but deeply traumatic and unacceptable,” he said.

“We deeply regret the antisemitism experienced by students at any of our schools. Our schools work really hard to stamp out this vile, racist behaviour, and we are always on hand to lend support.”

Associate Professor Josh Roose, an extremism expert at Monash University, said he was not surprised young people were engaging in such behaviour.

“[There are] younger, less physically and psychologically formed individuals who are probably more susceptible to direct influences from parents, peers and so on, who may well be drawn into that orbit around antisemitic behaviour,” he said.

“There has been a resurgence and emboldening of the far right, who have made significant efforts to appeal to young people. And we’re seeing that play out online where there’s a lot of extreme right-wing material diffused across spaces occupied by young people.”

Roose said that while it was positive that principals and schools were taking action including suspensions, this action merely treated the symptom of a much more profound issue.

Incidents of antisemitism in Victorian schools

A student was told to “go back to the Holocaust” and another student said they could breathe better because they don’t have “gas in their lungs”.
A student twice performed the Nazi salute and said “heil Hitler”, which a teacher witnessed, and it was reported. The student was immediately sent home and suspended.
A student was suspended for showing the SS symbol.
A student engaged in racist behaviour, constructing a “swastika symbol”, and was issued a two-day suspension after parents were notified.

“If you are punished without education, particularly at a younger age, you end up with an approach that doesn’t necessarily address where this [behaviour] might be coming from, which is what’s happening online, and also from peers and so on,” he said. “Really, we need a deeper level of education in our schools.”

The Department of Education introduced measures to prevent antisemitism, including mandatory Holocaust education in government schools, in 2020.

Roose said this was a positive step, but that there needed to be a “deeper reckoning” with the importance of histories, cultures and citizenship among young people. He said this should look at the dynamics that underpinned the Holocaust, which were dehumanisation and hatred.

“Nazi symbology in particular is deliberately provocative and inherently hate-filled,” he said. “And young people … aren’t inoculated against it as they may have been in past generations.”

Multicultural Affairs Minister Ingrid Stitt said there was no place for antisemitism in Victoria.

“Victoria is a proudly multicultural state and everyone has the right to practise your religion, be proud of who you are and not have to look over your shoulder in fear – especially not at school,” she said.

The Victorian government banned the public display of Nazi symbols and the salute in 2023, and they carry penalties of more than $23,000, a term of 12 months in prison, or both. However, the legislation includes carve-outs for groups including academics and actors.

Government schools have implemented a new policy on preventing and addressing racism, which came into effect from term 3 this year.

A spokesperson for Victoria Police said: “There is absolutely no place in our society for antisemitic, racist or hate-based behaviour and such activity will not be tolerated.

“Anyone who is a victim of or witnesses antisemitism – regardless of where it has taken place – is urged to make a report, either at their local police station or via Crime Stoppers.”

Naomi Levin, chief executive of the Jewish Community Council of Victoria, said there had been far too many instances of antisemitism in schools.

She said that in light of the introduction of a statewide school racism policy, alongside government and philanthropic support to educate more students, “we hope that we can turn the tide. But we will not be complacent. Our kids deserve 100 per cent of our effort to stamp out racism and antisemitism in schools.”

Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.