(Credit:Jurta/WikiCommons)

Elham Asaad Buaras

The UK government demonstrated “stark disparity” in its stance on pupils’ and staff’s rights to voice their support for and discuss the plight of occupied and besieged Ukrainians and Palestinians in schools, according to a CAGE survey released last month.

The survey, titled ‘Understanding Ukraine and Palestine Solidarity in UK Schools’ asked respondents to consider the government’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which started in February this year. It also asked respondents to evaluate Israel’s 2021 military offensive against the Palestinians in the blockaded Gaza Strip.

Last year, then Education Secretary Gavin Williamson issued a letter to schools validating what has been called the nationwide stifling of Palestine solidarity in schools. He cited the threat of antisemitism and rules about political impartiality to clamp down on all signs of support for Palestine among pupils and staff.

The survey, which covers primary and secondary schools, as well as sixth forms and two universities from across England, Wales, and Scotland, revealed that 96 per cent confirmed the use of proactive engagement on the Ukraine issue by schools (including holding non-uniform days, activities, donation appeals or acknowledgements in newsletters).

62 per cent indicated their schools had fundraised or hosted donation drives for Ukraine.

Seventeen per cent mentioned schools promoting motifs of the Ukrainian flag, such as encouraging students to wear blue and yellow for non-uniform days or hoisting the Ukrainian flag on school grounds. In a few cases, funds were raised for military gear through the far-right-linked Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain.

Poster provided to parents at another Luton primary school, advertising the donation drive by the Luton branch of the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain

Set up immediately after World War II, it has deep historical connections, shared leadership, and ongoing political sympathies for the Ukrainian far-right, including the Nazi collaborators Stepan Bandera, the Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army.

The government also gave former Prime Minister Tony Blair’s Institute for Global Change access to schools and the PREVENT-supporting Institute of Strategic Dialogue to teach about disinformation and extremism.

In contrast, there was widespread repression of Palestine solidarity seen in schools last year, with dozens of parents challenging their children’s schools about it. This included a marked reluctance to raise awareness of or discuss the issue or fundraise for Palestinians and active suppression of the Palestinian flag displayed within schools.

Indeed, schools attempted to silence the discussion of the Israeli attack on Palestine in the context and history of the region. One participant described how her granddaughter’s request that her school hold a minute of silence during assembly in memory of the Palestinian children killed by the Israeli bombardment was declined, as was her appeal to raise the Palestinian flag in solidarity with the besieged Palestinians in Gaza.

More alarming, another parent reported that her daughter was referred to the Designated Safeguarding Lead in her school after she discussed how her dad was fundraising for Palestine. Yet another cited how the school had organised a collection for Ukraine, but children could not do the same for Palestine as it was a “political” and “religious” issue.

Another parent described how her child’s school had deflected or ignored questions on “why funds were being raised for Ukraine, but they weren’t even allowed to wear badges for Palestine.”

A secondary school teacher reported staff at her High Wycombe school were barred from discussing Palestine “at all” and specifically instructed to “remain neutral” and to “immediately shut down any conversation” about that conflict.

The deputy head of humanities… said in front of staff that the BBC was biased against Israel and that students were being misinformed via social media and the BBC. But now the BBC is playing the Ukrainian narrative, it is now the go-to for correct information.

Azfar Shafi, author of the study and head of research at CAGE, said, “The research seeks to illustrate what many have instinctively felt to be a stark disparity between how solidarity with Palestinians was repressed in British schools, compared to the expansive support extended to Ukrainians.”

Testimonies from respondents highlight the sense among parents and students that there exists a hierarchy in human dignity and suffering. Non-Europeans are viewed by the government as being less deserving of the rights and protections granted to others from a European background.

“Despite the sharp differences, the research uncovered some notable convergences in the way that the government approached the questions of Palestine and Ukraine in school,” explained Shafi.

The contrasting responses to the killing and suffering in Palestine and Ukraine were both government-led.

“Whether under the banner of countering ‘extremism,’ preventing ‘anti-Semitism’ or tackling ‘disinformation,’ there has been a concerted effort to stage-manage the terms of political discussion in schools, including through the use of security think-tanks, to firmly align with British foreign policy interests.”