Thursday, July 31, 2025
Principal of high school students who hurled abuse at Jewish students visiting Melbourne Museum breaks her silence
The principal of high school students who targeted young children on a school excursion in Melbourne has launched an investigation into the "completely deplorable" behaviour.
Abhorrent abuse was hurled at a group of Jewish primary school students from Mount Scopus Memorial College during an excursion to Melbourne Museum.
The year 5 students, aged between 10 and 11, were called "dirty Jews" by high school students, amid chants of "free, free Palestine".
The teenagers were from Gladstone Park Secondary College in Melbourne's outer northwest, the Herald Sun revealed.
Principal Veronica Hoy called out the behaviour from some of her teenage students as "deeply traumatic and unacceptable".
"The behaviour of a group of some of our students at Melbourne Museum was completely deplorable," she told the Herald Sun.
"Racism has no place in or outside of the classroom."
The incident outraged families of the young students, with one parent saying on social media that his son had been called a "dirty Jew", and labelled the act "pure, unadulterated antisemitism".
"Today, my 10-year-old son went on an excursion to the Melbourne Museum," he said.
"What should have been a day of learning and culture turned into a terrifying experience when he and his classmates were targeted by high school students from a different school.
"They were tapped on the shoulder and then chanted at by these 16- and 17-year-old students 'free Palestine' and then, as they walked away, were called 'dirty Jews' and other racist comments.
"This is not a political debate; this is pure, unadulterated antisemitism and hate."
Ms Hoy will take responsibility for pursuing an investigation into what happened.
She added this incident "does not represent our values as a school".
"I will also be reviewing this incident with my leadership team as we develop a broader response to addressing racism in our school, in line with the Department of Education's new policy on this," Ms Hoy said.
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