Third incident of students performing Nazi salutes in Toronto school reported this month

A third incident of students performing a Nazi salute in a Toronto school this month has been reported.

On Thursday, two twelve-year-old students at Pleasant Public School in the North York area of Toronto reportedly performed the Nazi salute when students were asked to raise their hands for a question.

In a letter sent to parents on Friday, Principal Brian Fong said: “Yesterday, during a class discussion, students were asked to raise their hands in response to a question. Two students kept their hands up for a longer period of time, which was seen by the teacher as a ‘Nazi salute’.”

Principal Fong added that a session on Holocaust education for the Grade 6 class is being prepared. “As a result of what has occurred, we believe it’s important for students to be able to understand the impact of hate symbols and will be working to incorporate this as a learning opportunity to underscore our commitment to create a safe and respectful environment at our school.”

The educator in the classroom at the time said that the students “knew exactly what they were doing,” adding: “I felt attacked. They kept their hands up for a long time. It was blatant and so obvious.”

Last week, we reported that the Toronto District School Board had been urged to address a “wave of antisemitism” after Valley Park Middle School, also in North York, sent a letter to parents informing them that antisemitic graffiti had been discovered and that students had performed the Nazi salute in class.

Reportedly, two students had performed the Nazi salute to their classmates, while a third shouted “Heil Hitler” from his desk, all in the presence of their Jewish teacher. 

A few weeks prior, two students at North York’s Charles H. Best Middle School displayed swastikas and gave a Nazi salute in front of classmates in an incident that Principal Elever Baker described as “upsetting and unacceptable.”

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