A teacher at a Queens high school was forced to hide in her office last week as a mob of pro-Palestinian students rioted in the halls and attempted to force open the door to her classroom.
The teacher’s Facebook profile photo shows her at a pro-Israel rally on Queens Oct. 9 holding a poster saying, “I stand with Israel” —once discovered, students started a chat group and planned the riot.
“The teacher was seen holding a sign of Israel, like supporting it,” a senior told The New York Post. “A bunch of kids decided to make a group chat, expose her, talk about it, and then talk about starting a riot.”
Hundreds of kids stormed Hillcrest High School waving Palestinian flags, searching for the teacher.
“Everyone was yelling ‘Free Palestine!’” a senior said.
“Everyone was screaming ‘(The teacher) needs to go!’” a ninth-grader said. “They want her fired.”
The NYPD sent two dozen cops to the high school and tapped its counterterrorism bureau to investigate a possible threat against the school, according to City Councilman James Gennaro (D-Queens).
“Whether it was one student or multiple students who did or said something, whatever the trigger was, something happened. And I know from my many years on the City Council that the counterterrorism task force is not engaged unless they believe it is potentially a serious situation,” Gennaro said.
Watch the clip above.
The teacher, who asked to remain anonymous, issued a statement to The Post.
“I have been a teacher for 23 years in the New York City public school system — for the last seven at Hillcrest High School. I have worked hard to be supportive of our entire student body and an advocate for our community, and was shaken to my core by the calls to violence against me that occurred online and outside my classroom last week.”
“No one should ever feel unsafe at school — students and teachers alike,” she added.
The teacher continued: “It’s my hope in the days ahead we can find a way to have meaningful discussions about challenging topics with respect for each other’s diverse perspectives and shared humanity,” the teacher said in her statement. “Unless we can learn to see each other as people we will never be able to create a safe learning community.”
More over at The New York Post:
Pro-Israel teacher hides in Queens high school as ‘radicalized’ students riot: ‘They want her fired’ https://t.co/PRC8BqXkHP pic.twitter.com/QKH3IeqqlV
— New York Post (@nypost) November 25, 2023
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