Hundreds of students protesting the Israeli government formed into a threatening mob last week, rampaging through the halls of a Queens high school for nearly two hours after they discovered one of the teachers had attended a pro-Israel rally.
Around 11 a.m. Monday at Hillcrest High School in Jamaica, Queens, students gathered for a protest which was planned on Facebook, which showed a photo of the teacher at a pro-Israel rally on Oct. 9, where she held a poster saying "I stand with Israel."
"The teacher was seen holding a sign of Israel, like supporting it," one senior student told the NY Post. "A bunch of kids decided to make a group chat, expose her, talk about it, and then talk about starting a riot."
Several of the protesters attempted to breach the teacher's classroom, which the pro-Israel educator had barricaded herself inside of.
"Everyone was yelling ‘Free Palestine!" said one senior.
About 25 NYPD cops raced to the school to quell the disturbance, principal Scott Milczewski told parents. Administrators placed the school in a “soft lockdown,” activating a team of staffers and safety agents trained to handle emergencies.
The NYPD was called to the school again the next day, and said cops arrested an 18-year-old student for making threats over a group chat. The student was charged with aggravated harassment. -NY Post
"Everyone was screaming ‘(The teacher) needs to go!’" a ninth-grader told the outlet, adding "They want her fired."
Democrat councilman Robert Holden (D-Queens) told the Post, "I don’t know why these students are so misinformed, so intolerant and so radicalized. They don’t even know the history of the Middle East. They haven’t been taught that."
One senior agreed, saying "I doubt half of them know how to spell Palestine," while a sophomore suggested "They just wanted to make drama about it."
"Just, like, chaos. They thought of it as fun."
Students said rumors spread that the teacher “was abusing Muslims” and had taught “it was okay that children were being killed in Palestine.” Another teacher called the accusations “100% false.”
At least three students who organized the riot face superintendent’s suspensions, the most severe punishment, said a source familiar with the incident.
Milczewski said the law forbids him to discuss any consequences for students, but that the DOE “has a discipline code and I promise you that has been followed.” -NY Post
According to Hillcrest Chancellor David Banks, "We have our whole team working very closely with the students and the teachers at the school. But what’s happening in the Middle East has gotten a lot of emotions from a lot of people. We’re still figuring out what’s going on."
The incident follows a Nov. 9 citywide walkout by some 700 NYC high school students calling for a ceasefire.