UK
School in Tower Hamlets tells children as young as 11 to observe ‘collective fast’ for Gaza on Friday
Half of the pupils at George Green's School in Tower Hamlets would qualify for free school meals
December 10, 2024 12:53
Half of the pupils at George Green's School in Tower Hamlets would qualify for free school meals
December 10, 2024 12:53A London school is asking children as young as 11 to fast for Gaza.
Pupils at George Green's School (GGS) in Tower Hamlets have been asked not to eat between 8:30am and 4pm this Friday.
In a letter to all parents and careers, the east London school said: “GGS staff and students are holding a ‘Collective Day Fast’ on Friday December 13 in aid of Unicef’s [The United Nations Children's Fund] Gaza Appeal for Children in Crisis.
“We are asking students to sign up for the fast and raise sponsorship,” the letter said, directing families in London's poorest borough to its fundraising page. “We are already halfway to our target of £2500 but need your support.”
Nearly half of Tower Hamlets children grow up below the poverty line and the borough provides universal free school meals. At GGS, 51.2 per cent would qualify for free school meals under national guidelines.
The fast is the second of its kind at the school, which asked children – aged between 11 and 19 – to go without food last December.
One Jewish parent who wished to remain anonymous noted that her child – who has hidden their Jewish identity – had been made to feel that their very presence at the school is “subversive”.
“The school organising something like this causes a sense of shame for the [Jewish] kids. The school has a point of view, and it is against Jewish students,” the parent said.
“The school has decided who is good and who is bad. Judaism has been portrayed as bad. No one is going to go out and announce [they are Jewish] at that school.”
The parent noted the presence of a Palestinian flag directly outside the school for months after October 7. She added that there had been antisemitism at GGS, including swastikas in some classrooms and stairwells.
The hunger strike, she said, added to the “heartbreaking” atmosphere at GGS. There is a “stigma” the parent went on, against pupils who choose not to participate in the strike, and “it puts the onus on the young person at the age where they least want to stand out.”
The school’s principal, Jon Ryder, told the JC that the hunger strike was “organised in response to student voices on this issue and follows on from a similar event we ran a year ago, which raised several thousand pounds”.
He said the hunger strike and the non-uniform day were “entirely voluntary and are always well-supported by members of the school community, including students, parents and staff”.
He added: “As a Unicef Gold Award Rights Respecting school, we take any acts of discrimination incredibly seriously and will always investigate and take appropriate action if we are made aware of it, in line with our behaviour policy.”