Ontario’s education minister has issued a rebuke to a Toronto high school after it played the national anthem in Arabic on the morning of Oct. 7, the second anniversary of the 2023 Hamas terror attacks in Israel.Earl Haig Secondary School, located near Yonge St. and Sheppard Ave., serves about 2,000 students and is home to the Claude Watson Arts Program. Media reports say the school broadcast the Arabic rendition of O Canada during morning announcements on Tuesday..A Jewish graduate of the school said the decision fits a broader pattern.“This is part of a pattern,” the former student told the Western Standard. “When I was at Earl Haig, we were shown videos on issues like homophobia and Islamophobia. One of my teachers questioned why we were learning about those topics and suggested we should be learning about Catholicism instead. When I told her I had experienced antisemitism for the first time at the school, she responded that she understood how I felt because her grandfather was German.”Education Minister Paul Calandra said he was “disappointed” to learn of the anthem decision.“It is hard to believe that no one recognized the significance of this day, where the world recognizes the anniversary of the worst terrorist attack perpetrated against the Jewish people since the Holocaust,” Calandra wrote in a social media statement Tuesday evening. “This further underscores that school boards should be focused on creating safe learning environments for all students, never at the expense of one community over another.”.The Hamas attacks of Oct. 7, 2023 killed more than 1,200 people in Israel and resulted in the capture of over 240 hostages, dozens of whom remain in captivity.A source at Earl Haig told Juno News that staff chose the Arabic anthem from a CD containing versions in English, French, Métis, Farsi, and Arabic. The principal reportedly followed with an announcement calling it a “tough day for our community,” encouraging students to seek support from friends, without mentioning the Hamas attacks directly.Calandra emphasized that the federal National Anthem Act sets English and French as the official lyrics. “If school boards choose not to represent our national symbols and federal legislation, then I will take action,” he said..Former Toronto MP Kevin Vuong also criticized the school’s choice, calling it “at best, insensitive” and suggesting it was “intentionally meant to cause distress and harm to their Jewish students.” On social media, Vuong added: “That person should be fired.”Earl Haig’s website lists a Jewish Students Union among its clubs, and its parent handbook, published in English, Chinese, Korean and Farsi, provides a contact for Jewish Family and Child Services. Media reports estimate about 100 of the school’s students are Jewish.The Western Standard has reached out to Earl Haig Secondary School, its principal, and the Jewish Students Union for comment.MORE TO COME...
