Queens, NY – A Queens, New York high school teacher had to hide in her classroom closet after hundreds of students formed a mob and roamed through the hallways trying to find her.
What horrendous thing did the teacher do?
She attended a pro-Israel march and posted the photo on her Facebook account.
Yes, supporting Israel after it was attacked on October 7 by Hamas terrorists that took hundreds of not only Israelis, but Americans and other nationalities hostage resulted in somehow the teacher being at fault.
TikTok video shows Hillcrest High School students rioting over a teacher’s Pro-Israel post. (TikTok: @itsdxvid18)
According to the New York Post, a group of students at Hillcrest High School found the teacher’s photo from the march and began organizing what was supposed to be a discussion with her about the ongoing Israeli-Hamas conflict. However, things quickly escalated and got out of hand when more students showed up and began shouting, jumping, screaming and running through the hallways while waving pro-Palestine flags and signs. They began chanting “Free Palestine,” while others began screaming that the teacher had to be fired for supporting Israel.
The situation became so dire that school officials had to block the entrance of her classroom as students tried breaking down the door.
Eventually the NYPD and school security ushered the teacher away to another location where she hid in a locked closet as police tried to disperse the scene. Video posted on social media shows the aftermath of the situation with broken tiles and school water fountains. TikTok comments contained multiple vulgar statements about the teacher, who is now worried about her own safety.
In a statement to The New York Post (which is hiding the identity of the teacher for her protection) the teacher said, “I have been a teacher for 23 years in the New York City public school system – for the last seven at Hillcrest High School. I have worked hard to be supportive of our entire student body and an advocate for our community, and was shaken to my core by the calls to violence against me that occurred online and outside my classroom last week.”
She went on to explain just how frightening the atmosphere has become not only on college campuses but apparently now even in high schools.
TikTok
“No one should ever feel unsafe at school – students and teachers alike,” she added. “It’s my hope in the days ahead we can find a way to have meaningful discussions about challenging topics with respect for each other’s diverse perspectives and shared humanity,” the teacher said in her statement. “Unless we can learn to see each other as people we will never be able to create a safe learning community.”
Hillcrest school supervisors said that those who organized the near-riot will be dealt with via the school’s code of conduct, while the NYPD said that they had to arrest another student the next day after threatening the safety of other students.
This incident is just the latest example of what we are seeing across the country as anti-Semitism appears to be growing. The issue is complicated as younger generations continue to get their news from online sources and especially through social media like TikTok. However, there is rarely any fact-checking involved and sometimes these videos can spread to millions of people without any rebuttal.
I mean we literally have some Gen Z’ers siding with Osama Bin Laden of all people.
School is supposed to be a place where you can share ideas and learn about other cultures and viewpoints. These high schoolers reacting by literally hunting down one of their teachers just shows how fragmented, divided and absurd the country is becoming. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be ending anytime soon.
Newsflash to future protesters out there: Yes, the average person can and absolutely should be upset about Hamas killing and taking innocent Israelis hostage. And yes, that same person should also be against the killing of innocent Palestinian civilians and children. The two do not have to be mutually-exclusive, despite whatever you are being told on social media (by many times people who also have their own agendas!)
Anyone who is upset about what is going on should rightfully be allowed to voice their opinions IN THE CORRECT MANNER. And if someone that is of the Jewish faith wants to support her country and religion – guess what, America allows that to happen too – it’s called the Constitution – go read it.
Unfortunately what we are seeing with some people is that it’s now ‘become cool’ to hate on Israel, Jewish people, or honestly anyone who isn’t in complete lockstep with one’s opinion – whether it’s religion, international affairs, the economy or various other issues.
During these times we need more conversation, not less. But it has to be done in a civilized manner and not through mob-style attacks.
