Melbourne school sued over alleged ‘normalising’ of antisemitism
A Melbourne school is being sued by former pupils for allegedly “normalising” antisemitism.
Five former pupils of Brighton Secondary College are suing the school, alleging they were subjected to years of antisemitic bullying, discrimination and negligence. They allege that the principal, Richard Minack, gave speeches endorsing Nazis, called Jewish people sub-human and failed to protect his students from racial discrimination.
According to the students’ barrister, Andrew Butt, four out of the five left the school mid-way through a school year due to the “intolerable” and “hostile” school environment. “We’re talking here about a normalised culture of antisemitism,” Mr Butt stated.
Teachers Paul Varney and Demi Flessa are also named in the lawsuit. The state of Victoria is also being sued for allegedly “condoning” the behaviour. The school, the state of Victoria and all other respondents deny all the allegations.
The students – Joel Kaplan, Liam Arnold-Levy and three minors who cannot be named – allege that they experienced physical and verbal bullying by students and teachers between 2013 and 2020. They claim that the school was “littered” with swastika graffiti drawn on students’ hands and on desks and that they were also subjected to Nazi salutes.
Two of the students allege they were held at knifepoint or assaulted by fellow students, who were not punished.
Mr Minack is alleged to have given speeches referencing his father and grandfather, who had connections to the Nazis during WWII. According to Mr Butt, Mr Minack allegedly “endorsed his Nazi father as a ‘good man’ and at least once referred to Jews as ‘sub-human’ and ‘evil’.”
Former pupil Mr Arnold-Levy, now 21, told the court that, when approaching his Bar Mitzvah, he had decided to wear a kippah to school to show that he was proud of his Jewish heritage. He claimed that within the first hour of walking into his class “it was like target practice.” He claimed that fellow students tore the kippah from his head and threw it in the bin; he had coins thrown at him and was called names including “dirty Jew” and “vermin”; and his locker was defaced with “Heil Hitler.” He told the court that “the harassment happened every day.” Feeling frightened and distraught, Mr Arnold-Levy said that he complained several times to the school’s administration office.
He told the court: “They wrote down what I told them and said they’d give it to the principal” but “nothing ever happened.”
Other allegations include a student being told to remove his Star of David necklace and students not being allowed to complete a project on a former Israeli Prime Minister.
Mr Butt said the school’s failure to protect the students contravened Australia’ Religious Discrimination Act and violated the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Children. “They didn’t feel like they could be openly Jewish at the school,” Mr Butt said.
A recent report into antisemitic bullying at the school discovered an extensive list of alleged incidences of bullying “that spanned years”. Legal representatives of the parents of the young victims expressed regret that the report failed to hold the current leadership of the school to account.
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