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Students plan antisemitic Oct 7 walkout, Issaquah SD stays silent

Posted on by angelo
Students plan antisemitic Oct 7 walkout, Issaquah SD stays silent

In a grotesquely callous display of blatant Jew hatred, students with the Issaquah Student League are planning a so-called “Walkout for Palestine” on October 7, the one year anniversary of the Hamas terrorist attack against Israel. The unsanctioned event is set for 11:30 am at Issaquah High School and neither the school nor the district seem all that willing to condemn the event or show support for their Jewish families.

The digital flyers promoting the event, a reaction to what these students call “365 days of genocide,” explain the purpose of the walk is to remind Washingtonians about “atrocities” the students think are being committed by the Israeli and American governments.

“We must not stay silent while the genocide continues… your silence is violence!” the flyer reads.

This display of hate should not be brushed aside; it should be condemned in the strongest possible terms — the same way the Issaquah School District would respond if these kids were marching in Ku Klux Klan robes and hoods. Terrorist sympathizers, even if they’re 16 or 17, don’t deserve a pass.

Issaquah High School has an anti-Semitism problem

These Issaquah students, parading around as though they’re fighting some noble cause, are peddling the same propaganda that Hamas loyalists push because these students are, in fact, Hamas loyalists.

Labeling Israel and the US as genocidal powers is beyond absurd. It’s outright inflammatory, and it’s an insult to the victims of actual genocides — perhaps Issaquah High School ought to recommit to more in-depth lessons around the Holocaust. The fact that high school students are pushing this hateful rhetoric is alarming enough — but what’s worse is that they likely think they’re on the “right side of history.”

It’s tempting to write off their behavior as youthful naivety — after all, kids are susceptible to propaganda. But that doesn’t give them a free pass to spew such vile, anti-Semitic garbage. If they’re old enough to walk out in protest, they’re old enough to know better. They’re choosing to march against Israel on the very anniversary of Jews being raped, kidnapped and slaughtered.

Ignorance isn’t an excuse for these students. The school and district had a moral obligation to speak out immediately. Instead, it’s fair to wonder if they’ll handle this better than the last time a hate rally was planned. A district spokesperson forwarded me an April email that explained to parents that “students have First Amendment rights to peacefully assemble and express themselves,” though it warned hate speech (which isn’t a legal term) won’t be tolerated. That’s hard to believe given the entire event comes from a place of hate. A spokesperson says the school is planning an email to parents today. We did not receive a copy by publication.

Why would the district not even offer a similar email — the literal bare minimum — for a walkout intentionally planned on the anniversary of a terrorist attack against Jews? The Israeli response to the attack didn’t even happen until October 8. The students, however, chose October 7 for their event.

What happened to Issaquah School District’s commitment inclusion and tolerance?

The Issaquah Student League isn’t even an official club, but the district and school staff still refuse to condemn because they don’t believe what they preach.

Like many others, the Issaquah School District committed itself to inclusion in the aftermath of the George Floyd death. But it’s clear this district values ​​some lives over others. If Issaquah truly stood for inclusion — or tolerance — as they so proudly claim, then allowing this protest to go on unchallenged is hypocritical at best and complicity at worst.

This isn’t the first time Issaquah has turned a blind eye to anti-Semitism from its students. As detailed in a “Jason Rantz Show” on KTTH exclusive, another anti-Semitic student group (The Consciousness and Racial Empowerment Club, or CARE) hosted a teach-in that referred to Hamas terrorists as “freedom fighters” and claim Israel is the result of “explicitly a settler colonial movement.” The presentation claimed “Israeli women were not raped and paraded,” despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

Though the school knew about this student “teach-in,” they did nothing to counter the anti-Semitism and misinformation. Ask yourself why that is.

More from Jason Rantz: Activists cost themselves jobs at Seattle coffee shop after trying to hold owner hostage

Anti-Semitism among students is festering in Issaquah

An anti-Israel march on October 7 is what happens when you let unchecked antisemitism fester. A school that claims to champion diversity, equity and inclusion is doing nothing but fostering division, ignorance and hatred. They’ve failed these kids and parents would be wise to ensure they’re offering counter programming that the staff are incapable of or unwilling to provide.

These kids may not accept it, but they’re marching to the beat of a twisted, Hamas narrative that dehumanizes Jews and glorifies terrorism. And it’s not just a problem in Issaquah — it’s a problem across the country, where we see a growing trend of normalizing anti-Semitism under the guise of “pro-Palestinian” activism. The only thing the march is missing is some entertainment — perhaps Macklemore will make an appearance to demonize Jews between performing mediocre songs.

The district must make it abundantly clear that they will not tolerate this kind of hate — because that’s what this walkout is. Anything less than a strong, unequivocal condemnation would be a betrayal of their stated values. But, let’s be honest: did any of us really think this district, or any run by progressives, really cared about those values ​​being universally applied?

More from Jason Rantz: Anti-Semitic activists are sneaking non-students on-campus for anti-Israel activism

Let’s just call these Issaquah students what they are — future failures. But it doesn’t have to be this way

I don’t enjoy calling out kids who are passionate about issues. Even when I disagree, I can at least appreciate them getting involved in a cause. But when that cause is in support of terrorism, it’s not admirable. And while I’ve been cautioned against writing this next paragraph, I think there’s value in calling these students out harshly because no one else in their lives will.

The kids who participate are exactly who you think — pathetic, whiny nobodies who will never contribute anything but more useless noise to a world that’s already sick of them. If their parents are sitting back, letting this sad excuse for “activism” slide, then it’s no wonder these future failures are on a crash course to a life of mediocrity. In ten years, these same parents will be wondering why their kid is still parked on the couch in their childhood bedroom, spooning stale cereal into their face hole while they hate-watch Fox News — because that will be the only thing that sparks a shred of emotion in their otherwise empty, miserable existence.

Will anyone intervene in these kids’ lives before it’s too late? I can only hope that, if anyone does march, it’ll be a very small contingent with no influence. But it’s still sad to see wasted potential, even if it’s just a handful of teens. And as we know, one toxic hate monger can wreak a lot of havoc.

Where’s the district?

Issaquah School District and high school officials have a duty to step up and remind these students that real inclusion means standing against all forms of hate, including antisemitic bile. But it’s more likely that the staff are either too cowardly to directly condemn or they simply align with the hateful views. Does anyone think a march with Tiki Torches would earn a muted response from the district? If a child uttered “All lives matter” in 2020, there would be a week’s worth of antiracism-themed assemblies. This is a district that simply does not care about Jews.

This walkout isn’t about justice — it’s about spreading a deeply toxic and one-sided narrative that demonizes Israel and, by extension, Jews. What these students are doing is not standing up for peace; they’re standing up for division. It’s not activism; it’s ignorance. And the adults in the room — those with actual authority and responsibility — are unwilling to do their jobs.

If the district offers a ho-hum response and let this anti-Semitic march go unchallenged, they’re not just allowing hate to flourish — they’re encouraging it. It’s time they take a stand. Will someone in the district have the spine to say something?

Listen to The Jason Rantz Show on weekend afternoons from 3-7 pm on KTTH 770 AM (HD Radio 97.3 FM HD-Channel 3). Subscribe to the podcast here. Follow Jason on X, formerly known as TwitterInstagram and Facebook.