More than 100 Toronto District School Board (TDSB) students walked out of class Thursday morning, protesting what they allege is a pattern of school administrators silencing expressions of support for Palestine.
The demonstration began at Sankofa Square (formerly Yonge-Dundas Square) around 11 a.m., where students from multiple high schools gathered before marching through downtown Toronto. Participants claimed that, while discussions on many political topics are permitted in classrooms, speech about Palestine has been singled out and restricted.
“I feel super comfortable talking about queer identity and queer rights in class. I’m confident my teachers will support me. But if I bring up Palestine, really quickly we have office admin shutting down discussions,” said Colum Coady, a Grade 11 student at Ursula Franklin Academy.
Several students cited incidents they view as examples of “pro-Palestinian censorship.” One of the organizers, Edyn Lopez of Rosedale Heights School for the Arts, said school administrators contacted her Indigenous student group last week, instructing them to remove a social media post encouraging students to wear Palestinian flag colours on October 7 — the second anniversary of Hamas’s 2023 attack on Israel. Administrators also asked students not to post anything further related to the day.
Lopez acknowledged some might find the post provocative, but said it’s important to also discuss Israel’s actions leading up to and following the attack.
Other students recounted additional incidents. At Riverdale Collegiate Institute, Grade 12 student Iqra Alam alleged the principal rejected the Muslim Student Association’s hoodie design because it featured the Palestinian flag and an olive tree — a decision she called “anti-Palestinian racism” and “Islamophobic.”
At Ursula Franklin Academy, a yearbook photo of students wearing keffiyehs was covered with a sticker last spring. The TDSB later admitted the decision was made for political reasons and should not have happened.
Students believe these actions stem from a provincial directive issued in September 2024 by then–Education Minister Jill Dunlop, instructing school boards to keep political biases out of classrooms. Protesters argued the directive is being applied selectively.
“We can talk about Trump, we can talk about Biden, we can talk about all the US politics, but the second we bring up Palestine, it’s labelled as insensitive,” said Kayden Rankin-Goodman, a Grade 11 student at Etobicoke School of the Arts.
Lopez echoed that sentiment: “Learning at school is inherently political. We have political science. We have civics… why is the line being drawn at talking about Palestine?”
The Ministry of Education did not respond to questions before publication. The walkout reflects growing tension within schools over how political speech — especially on sensitive international issues — is regulated and perceived by students.