Last week, Jewish students at Langley High School were stunned to see the image of a U.S. flag that a classmate had drawn in Room 1406 during a meeting of the Muslim Students Association, replacing the stars on the flag with swastikas and the message “Free Palestine!” in between squiggles for stripes. The image circulated quickly at school, as pro-Palestine students staged a “walkout” on Friday, carrying another sign with swastikas on it and chanting, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” a call-to-action that Jewish groups have decried as an anti-semitic war cry to destroy the state of Israel.
Now, Jewish students and parents are shocked to learn that Langley administrators this week suspended not only the Muslim student who drew the swastikas on the U.S. flag but also an Asian American classmate whom school officials accused of leaking the photo to the public. Local Jewish community members and their allies plan a rally on Nov. 17, at 11 a.m., at Fairfax County Public Schools’ Gatehouse headquarters, which they have renamed “Hatehouse,” to protest the retaliation against the Asian American teen and the lack of school district action on anti-Jew hate.
The controversy over swastikas at one of America’s top high schools, just down the road from CIA headquarters, brings the contentious global battle over Israel and Palestine from college campuses and the streets into America’s K-12 school system. For several years, parents have expressed their concerns that administrators at Fairfax County Public Schools are ignoring antisemitism, said Rebecca Schgallis, cofounder of the group United Against Antisemitism. “Fairfax County Public Schools has emboldened students to become even more aggressive in their open antisemitism where they explicitly express support for Hamas and include swastikas in their signage. Jewish students have been threatened at these walkouts, and yet FCPS is falsely claiming to the community that they are peaceful and orderly. When Jewish students and their allies protest against antisemitism, they have their own right to free speech and rights outlined in the Student Rights and Responsibilities violated.”
Last week, teens at Robinson Secondary School, off Sideburn Road in Fairfax, rallied in front of their school with a shocking chant breaking out, “Long live Hamas!” Parents who witnessed the chant asked administrators to intervene, but they didn’t, according to a video of the event.
Late last month, across the county at Woodson High School, a Jewish senior, Yakov Schwartz, 18, led a group of half a dozen students, carrying two small Israeli flags, to the football field, where about 250 students organized by the Muslim Students Association rallied against Israel. At one point, students tried to grab his flag, and a mass of anti-Israel students rushed the field to hover menacingly over the Jewish students.
Schwartz said the decision by the Langley administrators to punish the alleged whistleblower follows a pattern and practice of retaliation school district officials mete out against Jewish students and their allies when they raise issues about anti-semitism. “Fairfax County Public Schools doesn’t truly care about making schools safe for every student,” he said.
“The student who drew the swastika flag not only threatened Jewish students but he also defaced the flag of his country. It’s a disgrace to our flag, our country, and its people,” said Schwartz, who now carries extra Jewish prayer caps, or kippahs, in his backpack to give to friends to wear as an expression of support for Jewish students, especially younger ones still finding their way at the school.
Back at Langley on Monday, school administrators started grilling the young Asian American student, interrogating him without his parents present, inspecting his phone, and threatening him with alleged violations of the Student’s Rights and Responsibilities handbook, say people familiar with the situation. School officials alleged he had shared the photo of the student holding the swastika flag as a second teen in a Vans beanie stood beside him, flashing a thumbs-up sign. The other teen in the photo also got suspended.
On Nov. 10, students of the Muslim Students Association led about 150 students outside the school in a “walkout.” One of the students held a sign, “Peace for Palestine,” with two swastikas scrawled on the back, according to a video obtained by the Fairfax County Times.
Standing across the street, carrying an Israeli flag, a group of about 10 Jewish students chanted, “Free the hostages!” A Langley High School administrator walked over and scolded the Jewish students, saying, “Stop chanting things that will instigate the other side to chant even more violent things like, ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,’” according to people familiar with the event.
These protests have been decades in the making. In the 1980s, a generation of new Muslim immigrants to the United States settled in northern Virginia, establishing a network of organizations, most of them opposed to the existence of the state of Israel. In the 1990s, the FBI, the U.S. Treasury Department, and the U.S. Customs Service completed a series of top-secret investigations that led to the jailing and deportation of many leaders from local organizations supporting terrorism by funding organizations like the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which today works with Hamas.
In an email to parents early Sunday morning, Langley Principal Kim Greer acknowledged the swastika flag photo, which had been posted the day before on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. “We want to be clear that FCPS does not tolerate this kind of behavior in our schools,” Greer wrote. “It is unacceptable that any student at Langley HS feels that this is appropriate behavior. This is not the kind of school community we seek to cultivate.”
In response to a request for comment, Julie Moult, a spokeswoman for Fairfax County Public Schools, forwarded a statement the school district posted on its website two weeks ago. In it, Superintendent Michelle Reid wrote, “This continues to be an emotionally challenging time” for students and staff. Moult did not respond to specific questions about the suspensions.
In the statement, Reid said, “FCPS will continue to support our students’ right to free speech. At the same time, we will not tolerate antisemitism, Islamophobia, or racism, as we continue to condemn hate and violence in any form. Our schools must be safe and welcoming spaces to learn for every student in our diverse and global community.”
However, at Langley High School, students, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation from the administration, said the suspension of the Asian American teen who opposed anti-semitism sends a disturbing message to Jewish students. “Langley isn’t a safe place to express our ideas, especially if we support Israel,” said one student, a junior. “It’s a hostile place.” He said Langley’s principal didn’t handle the swastika scandal correctly by punishing the student who opposes anti-semitism. “She put more fire on the flame without addressing the situation,” he said.
Another student who attended the rally on Nov. 10 said he was struck by calls for a ceasefire from the anti-Israel activists, punctuated by slurs like “F— you!” He said that, as a Jewish teen,
“I don’t feel safe anywhere in the world. Now, I especially don’t feel safe in Fairfax County Public Schools.”
(57) comments
An honest headline would have pointed out that the student was NOT suspended for whistleblowing, they were suspending for social media violations. The reporting itself had nothing to do with the suspension. It was the student's decision to disseminate the image online.
Using social media to disseminate the image online was whistleblowing, but you can play semantics all you want
Interesting that the antisemites posting here want to address everything except what the article is about. That's what people do when they know they are wrong. The article is about the antisemitism that is rampant within FCPS. Nobody cares about your credentials, whether you like the way the article is written, or your own version of 'facts.' Why do lawyers think they are experts on everything? Graduating from a FCPS school doesn't give your comment more weight than any others. The article is about FCPS and their exclusivity of Jews when it comes to providing a safe learning environment and standing up to hate that targets Jews. You can't argue with numbers...2.6% of the population and almost 60% of the hate crimes. None of this would be tolerated against any other group. but you do you and continue your antisemitic ways hiding behind your screen.
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Thank you for writing this article. Fairfax county public school has ignored antisemitism in their schools for far too long. They currently have a title six complaint against them that is being investigated by the United States office of civil rights. Hundreds of families have come forward with horrible accounts of anti semetic harassment and bullying in FCPS. This article helps expose the school system for what they really are-All about diversity and equity, except for when it comes to Jewish students. We finally have a brave student come forth at Langley high school and expose the disgusting vitriol and message of these bigoted, misinformed and misguided kids, and he gets suspended for exposing them. Absolutely disgusting. Fairfax County Public schools better be found in noncompliance. Thank you again for writing this article!
There was an excellent article in The Washington Times "Don't Know Much About Middle Eastern History" by Clifford D. May in the November 15, 2023, edition. People who are expressing support for the Hamas' attacks on Israel on October 7th, and see justfication because of they feel Israel has mistreated the people in Gaza and the West Bank, should better understand the history of the region. I'm sure Israel hasn't been perfect over the years defending themselves from extermination when they've been attacked, but they certainly have a right to live there as they have for over 3,000 years.
Thank you for addressing what is happening in our Fairfax County schools today. It is shocking that students (and teachers and administrators) are so uninformed about the history of this embattled region, and about what Hamas actually did October 7, that they could offer such intense justification and even support for those horrors.
Most media have presented only sanitized accounts of what Hamas actually did October 7. They say Israelis were “killed.” A few said “murdered.” Virtually none talked about the rampant, personalized, bestial terror that Hamas inflicted that day. People need to be confronted with those horrific realities, to understand what why Israel had no choice except to respond as it has to Hamas’s declaration of total war.
These Hamas terrorists had detailed maps and knew exactly what they intended to do. They butchered 1,400 people, kidnapped 240, gang raped women and girls, beheaded babies, chopped arms and legs off live children. They tied children and parents together, soaked them in gasoline and burned them alive.
Then they fled back to their Gaza tunnels, promising more slaughters, but expecting and demanding that Israel would do little in response, for fear of injuring or killing “innocent” Gazans who (often willingly) serve as human shields for Hamas terrorists.
I am truly proud of these few brave, principled students who have stood up for Israel. I’m disgusted by the school administrators who have allowed this to fester and continue on their watch.
One can easily see from the shoddiness of this "article" why the author no longer works at the more reputable publications she lists in her bio. It is apparent that she was not a beneficiary of the superior education FCPS provides. I am a graduate of Chantilly HS, UCLA, and a law school (of which I am not proud enough to name).
I oppose the savagery of Israel against the Palestinians. That in no way makes me a supporter of the savagery of Hamas. The primary reason people hate Israel so much is because of Israeli barbarism. I hate the monopolization of the term "anti-Semitism" by Zionists. Palestinians are Semitic, too. Israel is the most anti-Semitic country that has existed since 1933-1945 Germany.
A law school graduate who appears to be unable to use a dictionary. Since every dictionary defines antisemitism as hatred of Jews. It was a term invented to make hatred of Jews sound more scientific.
Your comments are a little lopsided in favor of Hamas, the terrorists who's primary objective is to kill all jews and destroy Israel. After Hamas fired thousands of rockets into Israeli civilian population from Palistinian-civilian occupied locations, and then their raids into Israile that slaughtered innocent jews attending a party and in their homes, what would any country do......obviously Israel has a right to destroy the enemy, Hamas, to prevent it from happening again. Since Hamas hides and shoots rockets from civilian-based locations, there will be civilian casulties. And Israel gave ample warning they were going to attack these Hamas targets.
You oppose Israel's response and that is your right.
I support it and hope they continue the good fight. I do not support Palestine nor Hamas.
As long as Palestinian people allow Hamas to operate, they deserve what they get.
Like anywhere else, clean your house or someone else may do it.
the nwo is using this as another way to destabilize (what's left of)
the country
White men are brutally marginalized. The Smart People (elite) are silent. These marginalized men stood up and defended America, American values, and American women. I walked off mainstream society, its women, and the jobs they required. Thank you, I am happily thriving on the margins. The food is good, the women are pretty, and testosterone is valued. Good luck ladies. I'm going fishing. C-ya
Cordially,
D.
Kensington, Philadelphia, PA
--- USA ---
I am glad the kid turned in the other kid.
I understand that Fairfax county has many liberal voters and I suppose I can understand why, but when adults, most especially adults in an educational siituation who seem to side with terriorists and punish a child who calls them out, those adults need to be called out themselves and removed from their offices. You folks really need to take a step back, review history and get your priorites straight.
To the student that reported this hate incident, YOU CERTAINLY ARE MY HERO, I'm sure your parents and friends are proud of you as well. Enjoy your day off my friend,
To the teachers and administrators involved in silencing of this fine youngster, I can only hope you're FIRED WITH EXTREME PREJUDICE, and not able to seek re-employment in your future, YOUR A DISGRACE TO EDUCATORS and to humanity.
Anyone who would write "YOUR A DISGRACE TO EDUCATORS," is a disgrace to their own educators. "Your" is a second person possessive pronoun and does not mean "you are" or the the contraction thereof, "your."
*you're
So let me get this straight. You’re busting on him for a grammatical error that you yourself made. Idiocy.
Fairfax's “Hatehouse” history: “May Expel Elementary Students For ‘Misgendering’ People … Tell Children Of Military Members That They Have ‘Privilege’ … Students Made To Play ‘Identify Your Privilege’ Bingo … wishing death on anti-CRT parents … They’re Entering A World Of “Capitalism” and “White Supremacy.”
Who would have dreamed the Hitler's "Final Solution" would be found in
America's educational system -from bottom to top.
My friends daughter attends this high school, and unfortunately, the environment there is not welcoming to all religions. She wears a small cross, it’s not religious, it was given to her by her grandmother. Yet, the Muslim students seem to have an issue with a girl wearing a cross. Deeply disappointed in the school that Muslim students are allowed to intimidate other students.
Israel 's problem is Israel. They are a selfish, greedy, entitled country inflicted with ACARS (Aquired Cultrual and Religious Socioapathy) A murderous country since their inception and killing under the excuse of a God for thousands of years. Many factors have lead to their current dysfunctional state, not the least being what they learned from Nazis and American White Supremecist. There are certainly some Jewish people who are not afflicted with this sociopaths, but as a country they have reach an evil state. The cure is to stop enabling them.
Muslims murder 100X more Muslims than Israeli's do
Thank you for sharing this story. I am so proud of the student who spoke out and hope that our public school system can be a place where all students feel supported. Our schools need to be a place where students feel comfortable and confident so that they can learn and grow and shouldn’t be punished for speaking out when they see improper conduct.
I really hope the author isn’t posting about attending pro-Israel rallies in DC. That would destroy any claims of journalistic integrity. Additionally, they failed to mention any of the obscene comments made my the pro-Israeli protesters and the statement issued by the Langley MSA specifically addressing the fact that they didn’t endorse the image spread on social media. Please research before writing in order to get all sides of the story and avoid bias [smile]
Thank you for publishing this important story and uncovering yet another episode of antisemitism in FCPS. For a county that is already facing a Title VI investigation, you would think they would take these incidents more seriously. The only way to fight this hatred is to call it out and expose it for what it is, Antisemitism and Hate Speech.
Gosh, I sure hope the writer of this article isn’t the same person who has posts on her social media of her attending the pro Israel rally in dc, which had a guest speaker who said hitler was a gift to Jews and such clearly-not-genocidal signage as “let Israel finish the job” and “many gazans are hamas in training” and chants of no ceasefire after 11,000 innocent Palestinian civilians, 5,000 of them children, were bombed to death. Because if that were true, this would be an insane conflict of interest and might point to some obvious bias in her reporting which any respectable news source would question, wouldn’t it.
Where are you getting your numbers from regarding the deaths in Gaza? From their 'Health Ministry?' Are you really commenting on the one or two signs that may have been questionable? Did you hear any reports of violence? Any vandalism? How many of them were wearing masks to hide their identities? But you want to cherry pick what you see and hear. Did you hear chants of 'Bring them home?' Did you see any other signs? Why paint a picture that isn't true? That's what people do who know they are wrong and/or are antisemites.
Thank you for this excellent article and for informing the public of FCPS’s rampant indifference to antisemitism. It is truly sad. Whistleblowers should never be punished and if there isn’t more to this story, they should sue the district. I’m sure many of us would gladly contribute to that cause. Students who exhibit any type of anti-semitism should be immediately punished. There should be no tolerance for this type of behavior. Every student has the right to feel safe at school. I’m very disappointed with FCPS.
Agree.[thumbup]
Thanks to the author of the article and the Asian student who had the guts to expose the hate that FCPS engenders. 70% of the taxpayers have no children in the schools and have no idea what is actually going on in the schools. Kudos to the Asian student and hope he files a lawsuit against FCPS for his suspension.
I highly doubt that a student was suspended soley for mentioning the existance of this image. There is more to the story. I wish Fairfax times were actually an objective news organization so I could understand what happened. Unfortunately, they are a piece of garbage.
So there has to be more to the story because why exactly? Fairfax has a Title XI complain against them that is currently being investigated by the US Civil Rights Office. Why is this surprising? It's the same school system with a school board member who was
openly antisemitic and her colleagues wouldn't censure her.
Yet here you are.[sneaky]
This "article" is full of factual inaccuracies and clearly intended to support hate against pro-Palestinian students and Muslim students. The Langley MSA specifically issued a statement indicating it does not endorse the image that was circulated on social media. The intent of this "article" is simply to stifle individuals' rights to protest the extreme and ongoing violation of international law and murder of thousands of human beings by the Israeli government. The pro-Israeli students unfortunately did feel the need to engage in name-calling, yelling at the pro-Palestinian children that they were terrorists and Hamas-supporters (the pro-Palestinian children did not chant any support for Hamas). The supposed "whistleblower" was fully aware that the student who drew the image was not advocating support for the disgusting and murderous Nazi regime, he was apparently trying to convey his view that the US support of the Israeli government's actions is support for genocide. He definitely should not have used that hateful symbol to convey that point and was therefore punished. The "whistleblower" should also not have intentionally framed and mischaracterized the student as someone who was advocating support for Nazis and was therefore also punished. We are all human and hate against any person due to their race, religion, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation is wrong. Antisemitism is wrong and Islamaphobia is equally wrong.
Wow, your opinions are interesting that they condemn Israel for attacking the Hamas terrorists for the mass murder of inocennt civilians on Ootober 6th against men, women, children and badies (some who were decapitated). If these are not war crimes, similar to what Hilter did in WWII, I don't know what the definition could be. So, you're condemning Israel for attacking Hamas military targets that are embedded into the civilian population in Gaza, and Hamas doesn't care if they are killed. There's no moral equivalency to what Hamas did against the Israeli civilians with how Israel is conducting their attacks against the Hamas terrorists. Hamas has stated in their manifestos that they have one objective: To kill all the Jews in Israel. So if Hamas isn't destroyed, they will keep attacking Israel. How can you or anyone defend these Hamas terrorists who will continue to commit inhumane death and destruction of jewish civilians if they are not wiped out from Gaza?
Just a follow up: First, correction to two types: The Hamas attack on Israel started on October 7th, not 6th; and the correct spelling for "babies." Second, please don't forget what first started this current terrible death and destruction war on both the Israel and Palastinian sides: On October 7thHamas started firing thousands of rockets indiscriminately into Israel killing mostly civilians, and, their attacks and murdering of Israeli civilians living near the Israel - Palistine boarder. What end result or outcome did Hamas (the governing entity of Gaza), who was elected years ago by the Gaza citizens), think Israel would do. Obviously, any country would attack and destroy the enemy to prevent it from happening again, just like the USA did after the Peral Harbor attack in WWII.
I’m pretty sure students/Muslims shouting “long live Hamas” is what’s causing people to dislike these individuals. Not this article.
You forget to mention the October 7th
Asra lol. Must be out of money again and she is back with her opinion posts.
I agree. Pretty pathetic of her. This definately sounds disturbing but you really need to hear ot from a legitimate source to understand what happened. Fairfax times is not a news organization and Asra Nomani has an ax to grind.
So this didn't happen because she has an ax to grind? She made it up? Why are you here if this isn't a news organization? 😂 progressive much? Progressive = antisemite. I guess all of the other complaints against FCPS regarding their inability to respond appropriately to antisemitism os because those parents have an ax to grind.
Please tell us what part of the article is an opinion since you seem to know the details that the author and the rest of us don't know.
Kudos to this reporter and to the Fairfax Times for blowing apart FCPS’s cover up of their problem with antisemitism. Dr. Reid can’t lie away the problem. It is disappointing and heartbreaking to read how Langley has treated this child, and how FCPS is allowing Jewish students to be targeted. These kids who are speaking up are heroes and should be applauded, not suspended. Shame in FCPS.
You are making a lot of assumptions here. Remember the article says this personal vlog is alleged.... and look who wrote it...
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You and Paul Jackson are commenting at the exact same time. Same person???
Ok, Buddy. I happen to know the story firsthand, so sit down and let the adults in the room talk.
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This is not journalism. This piece barely mentions any attempts to get clarification from FCPS or the administrations of the various high schools it mentions. They didn't apparently even ask the Langley HS principal about their policy towards student use of social media to discuss school-related incidents. The article doesn't detail what that Twitter posting said -- did the photo show the faces of the students or did the posting name them? We don't know because the writer didn't say. Either of those things would be grounds for the suspension. The writer (I won't use the word reporter) didn't talk to any Muslim or even Jewish community leaders, rabbis, imams, etc. about how these tensions can be relieved and the schools depressurized. In fact, this piece doesn't try at all to turn down the heat; it tries very hard to turn up the heat and make readers even angrier than global events are already doing. Another misguided effort by FFX Times to get people angry at FCPS. Good thing the voters didn't fall for this stuff at the polls this year.
I agree 100% the writer made zero journalistic efforts, and this entire piece smacks of culture war buffoonery. Like what's the deal with that random paragraph about Muslim immigrants in the 80s? She doesn't even attempt to draw a correlation. This kind of lazy and slanted reporting is something I'd expect from a Breitbart article. Do better FFX Times.
Fairfax times is Breitbart. There is literally no difference but the name. We know that the times is just an arm of the Republican party and Asra is an activist in that party. Just more garbage designed to spread hate, division and fuel culture wars.
It pisses you off that there is a publication in Fairfax that gives a different perspective than the 'news' you like to read. How dare somebody have a non-Progressive viewpoint in Fairfax? Think about it...you are questioning whether an antisemitic event took place and if a student who reported it was disciplined for it. It just doesn't fit your narrative does it? did the holocaust happen? October 6th?
This is textbook culture war grifting and all it's going to do is stoke the flames of outrage and make all students even less safe.
Oh, hey Dr. Reid. Didn’t know you had a Fairfax Times account [beam]
Do tell...what source would you consider journalism? The ones that believe Hamas before fact checking? Or the ones who won't report on the attempted takeover at the DNC headquarters last week? You may have been there.
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