Scottsdale students are pledging their loyalty to the terrorist group Hamas, but the mobilization efforts by a controversial club meeting have failed for now.
Desert Mountain High School (DMHS) students were planning to stage a walkout on Thursday just before lunch to show their support for the terrorist organization. The thwarted mobilization comes about a week after the DMHS UNICEF and Amnesty International clubs told students that Israel was the wrongdoer in the Israel-Hamas conflict, accusing them of committing apartheid, ethnic cleansing, and torture against both child and adult Palestinians. The clubs committed their fundraised monies to the Palestine side of the conflict.
Shiry Sapir, a Scottsdale parent, education activist, and former member of the Israeli Defense Forces, warned that the club meeting would mobilize students against their Jewish peers. Sapir said that the club meeting imparted anti-Semitic propaganda that she predicted would endanger Jewish students.
“We knew this would happen,” said Sapir. “That’s what happens when you lack leadership or moral compass. They put Jewish students at risk, and we warned about it.”
We knew this would happen.
Now the Desert Mountian principle has a much bigger problem on her hand.
That's what happens when you lack leadership or moral compass.
They put Jewish students at risk, and we warned about it.
What are you going to do now @ScottsdaleUSD pic.twitter.com/lkR8Ket6TT
— Shiry Sapir (@shirysapir) November 8, 2023
After Sapir called for Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) to take action, the planned protest was cancelled.
Desert Mountain High School Principal Lisa Hirsch advised students and parents of the cancellation:
Hello DMHS families,
There will be no walk out tomorrow.
Early this morning I was alerted to a post about a walk out. I immediately met with school and district leadership, as well as law-enforcement, in order to make a plan to ensure the continued safety for all students and staff at Desert Mountain High School.
We also spoke to the student. The student took down the post and expressed that there was no intention to cause a disruption.
The statement below is the one I made over the Public Announcement System at Desert Mountain.
“Hello Desert Mountain students, this is your principal with an important announcement. The administration has become aware of a post of a potential walk out of class today/tomorrow. You may not walk out of class. The student code of conduct remains in place and will be enforced. The criminal code 13–2911 Disruption of an educational institution may apply. We do know some of you are feeling overwhelmed, and we have a counseling and guidance support for any student who is in need, and we encourage you to reach out. Thank you.”
Arrangements for the walkout came from a greater coalition effort shared by students online: “Shut It Down For Palestine,” an international movement convened by the Palestinian Youth Movement, National Students For Justice in Palestine, Answer Coalition, The People’s Forum, International Peoples’ Assembly, AL-AWDA-NY, and the Palestinian American Community Center of New Jersey.
As part of the walkout, students were urged to dress in pro-Hamas attire: keffiyehs and black armbands.
The coalition effort goes one step further in its accusations against Israel, declaring that the country has been committing genocide. It called on the efforts of not only students but individuals of all ages and across all sectors: labor, youth, media, and health care workers.
In addition to school walkouts, the coalition calls for work walkouts; picketing at Israeli embassies and consulates, as well as companies that profit from the conflict such as Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, and Elbit Systems; and hosting speak outs.
Tucson groups are also scheduled to participate in the walkout for Palestine on Thursday at the University of Arizona (UArizona): Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) Tucson, Community Care Tucson, Coalition of Black Students and Allies (COBA) UArizona, UCWAZ Students, Arizona Palestinian Solidarity Alliance, Jewish Voices For Peace of Tucson, Mass Liberation Arizona, Community on Wheels, Tucson Tenants Union, No Jail Deaths, and Tucson Peace Center.
The groups accused UArizona leadership of supporting apartheid and genocide.
“If UA’s values are with the Israeli state and not the Palestinian people, as President Robbins recently asserted, then UA’s leadership stands for and is complicit in occupation, apartheid, genocide,” said PSL Tucson. “We won’t forgive and we won’t forget!”