A trustee with the Peel District School Board (PDSB) says he was grabbed by a pro-Palestinian protester after a group disrupted a board meeting and broke into a private boardroom.
Protesters got so loud the board meeting was moved into a private boardroom. Near the end of the meeting, the group could be heard pounding on the door to the boardroom and managed to make their way inside.
“One lady ran straight in and came up and grabbed me,” Mr. Green said. “I said, ‘What are you doing, assaulting me?’ The minute I said that she let me go and backed up.”
He said he had to talk himself into staying calm when she ran at him.
Group Makes Demands of School Board
Mr. Green said after the group broke into the meeting room, everyone was rushed upstairs to get to safety, but he stayed to have a conversation with one of the protesters.
“I said, ‘You could get arrested for what you did.’ I said we’re not going to do that,” Mr. Green said.
He said various people in the group were all saying different things to him, but that they made four demands.
One was to reinstate a principal who was on leave and under investigation for allegedly using board material inappropriately. The other demands were that the board issue a letter saying they stand with Palestine, a letter saying they are against the deaths happening in Gaza, and that any student who brought a Palestinian flag to school would not be penalized.
Mr. Green said he tried to explain that the board was in the business of education and that the group should take their concerns to the provincial or federal government.
“I said ‘This doesn’t have anything to do with us. We educate. We’re in the business of educating children, to make sure that every student that comes to our door is educated … and that they feel safe in their environment that they’re in. And that’s what we’re here to do.'”
Meeting Chaos
Mr. Green said the board had received a call from a member of the public prior to the Nov. 28 meeting to warn them about social media posts indicating there would be a demonstration during the meeting.He explained that the group had asked to present to the board prior to the day of the meeting. He said they indicated that they wanted to discuss what was being taught in schools. The board responded by directing them to apply to present before the curriculum committee, which would compile a report to be presented to the full board. He said the group did not respond to that.
Mr. Green said protesters were present from the beginning of the meeting but did not stand for the land acknowledgement or the singing of the national anthem.
“After my colleagues and the staff that were presenting a report could not hear themselves anymore, I took a recess and adjourned to our Brampton Room,” he said.
“We were in there and the meeting was going on fine until we heard knocking on the doors.”
He said near the time the meeting was wrapping up, a student trustee left the room to go to the washroom and when the trustee returned, the group yanked the door open and ran into the room.
“They rushed the door,” he said. “They knocked over a poor superintendent and stampeded one.”
“I was asking myself is this a movie or war zone? Because I was inside I couldn’t see what was happening out there. To see that video sends chills up my spine. To see that a civilized country as Canada, this is what we have to put up with just to be able to serve our community.”
Mr. Green said the board is looking at ways to ensure this does not happen at a future meeting.
“I’m going to make sure that whatever other boards are putting in place for security measures, I will add one. I don’t know which one yet, but I will make sure we adopt one.”
