Radical teacher groups rallied students in the New York City public school system, encouraging them to stage a walkout in light of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
The walkout, organized by Desis Rising Up and Moving (DRUM), Palestine Youth Movement, Teachers Unite, NYC Educators for Palestine, Al-Awda New York and Movement for More, told students to leave their classrooms and march towards the Tweed Courthouse on Chambers Street, which currently serves as Department of Education headquarters at 3 p.m. on Friday afternoon.
In a post shared by Teachers Unite NYC on Instagram, they said: "High schoolers have spoken: they want a free Palestine from the river to the sea."
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The anti-Israel groups provided a toolkit for the students, outlining a "sample walkout plan" and describing the students' "rights" to protest.
Organizers said that the rally is in protest of "Israel’s genocide of Palestinian people."
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"On Friday, May 31, high school students across New York City will walk out of school to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza & an end to U.S. support for Israel’s genocide of Palestinian people," the toolkit said.
Department of Education Chancellor David Banks tried to discourage the planned protest on Thursday, writing that the walkouts were unnecessary.
"I'm a big believer in student voices and kids standing up for the things that they believe in…I don't think you need to have continued walkouts to do that," Banks told reporters.
