A group of students have planned a walkout for Thursday to show their support for Palestinians. They say they are gathering on a public space near the front lawn during C Lunch from 11:40 to noon.
The walk out, which is not a school sponsored event, will begin with short speeches from four different students. It will be followed by a moment of silence.
“The purpose of this walkout is to stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine,” sophomore Aiza Mirza said. She said the students are especially protesting “the bombing of religious places of worship, the killing of nearly 40,000 civilians, and the destruction of schools and all universities in Gaza.”
In an email to the community, Principal Erin Lenart wrote that the walkout “is about a peaceful resolution to the current conflict in Israel and Gaza, and it is not an expression for or against any particular religious group.”
She reminded the community that the school is “committed to ensuring that all students feel safe, and are seen, valued, and heard.”
On Oct. 7, Hamas fighters from Gaza invaded Israel. They killed over 1,200 Israelis and took 240 hostages. Israel has responded with a bombing campaign and ground invasion that has killed over 34,000 Palestinians. As the war has continued into its eighth month, United States citizens and other countries are urging for a cease fire.
College students across the country are holding sit-ins to show their support for Palestinians. Some protesters at Columbia University were arrested Wednesday after they took control of a campus building Tuesday. Students at well renowned universities such as UCLA and John Hopkins, have also faced consequences for participating in these protests or for standing up for a particular side.
Some high school students have walked out in protest of the war, too. In the Chicago area specifically, schools such as Lane Tech High School, Curie Metro High School in Archer Heights, Westinghouse High School in Humboldt Park and Jones College Prep in the South Loop have participated in walkouts.
The student organizers here said they wish to encourage other students to speak out, despite the fact that they may face criticism.
“Hate will come no matter what side I support. You don’t need to be Muslim to support the cause, just a person. There were people against every protest in history, and I’m willing to talk to people who disagree with me,” junior Ibrahim Hashim said. “As a Muslim person, I’ve received hate for years, so I’ve become numb to the hate. No matter what you do, people are going to try to hate on you, even if you’re fighting against war crimes.”
Mirza said the actions are “worth the risk” of negative comments.
“Fear should never be a reason to not speak up for what you believe is right, especially when what you believe is the humane treatment of others, regardless of background, religion, ethnicity, gender, or sexuality,” Mirza said.
Sophomore Reza Anarwala said the students involved want to help out in any way they can, primarily bringing awareness to students at LFHS regarding this issue.
“We know that our protest now realistically isn’t going to change the landscape of global politics. But when we have more people informed of what goes on in Palestine right now, that creates a movement, one that can be seen at many college campuses, which on a broader scale can lead to actual change happening,” Anarwala said.
The comment section for this story is closed.
Linda • May 2, 2024 at 7:11 am
I hope they ask for the 133 innocent hostages to be freed while they denounce Hamas. If not , then this will be considered antisemitism, which is pathetic considering our neighbors are predominantly Jewish.
Jason Kowalski • May 2, 2024 at 2:34 pm
Selective focus isn’t antisemitic, per guideline 15 of the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism:
“Political speech does not have to be measured, proportional, tempered, or reasonable to be protected under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights or Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights and other human rights instruments. Criticism that some may see as excessive or contentious, or as reflecting a ‘double standard,’ is not, in and of itself, antisemitic. In general, the line between antisemitic and non-antisemitic speech is different from the line between unreasonable and reasonable speech.”
Vicky Kujawa • May 1, 2024 at 9:57 pm
BTW there is no country called Palestine…..
Jason Kowalski • May 2, 2024 at 2:28 pm
The “State of Palestine” is an observer state to the United Nations.
Alia • May 1, 2024 at 9:53 pm
So so so proud of these brave students!!!! Free Palestine forever<3
Joseph Lees • May 1, 2024 at 9:00 pm
Of course, The Forest Scout is a school newspaper, and being affiliated with a public school undoubtedly brings many challenges in reporting stories. Both of these writers did their due diligence in gathering interviews, yet there are major flaws in this story that I couldn’t help but feel the urge to address. Principal Lenart undoubtedly shares a far different opinion with the interviewed students; Principal Lenart shouldn’t have been spoken to in the first place as “solidarity with the people of Palestine,” as said by the sophomore conflicts drastically with Principal Lenart’s assertion of it being “about a peaceful resolution to the current conflict…” It also is striking that despite being not “for or against any particular religious group,” this story lacks any response from Jewish students at LFHS. Even The Forest Scout couldn’t have been so blind as not to include a Jewish interviewee in their article; for crying out loud, plenty of stories have been written, some of which even focus on Judaism broadly. Unless there’s a claim of solidarity among the Jewish students of LFHS (I doubt it), this fails the most basic journalistic expression, giving both sides of a conflict in a story. If the “actual change” championed here is an echo chamber of students