Calls are mounting for an Ontario high school principal to be fired after he defended his choice to play an Arabic song for students on Remembrance Day because most of the soldiers who fought and died for Canada had white skin.
Principal Aaron Hobbs of Sir Robert Borden High School in Ottawa made the absurd decision to play a Palestinian protest song in Arabic for students during the school’s Remembrance Day presentation.
Hobbs defended his decision in a staff meeting, telling staff that diversity and inclusion was needed because Remembrance Day generally honours “a white guy who has done something related to the military.”
(As in, died for his country.)
The National Post reported that Hobbs apologized only after the backlash ensued after word got out that he hijacked Remembrance Day to advocate for Palestine.
“It has come to my attention that the inclusion of the song ‘Haza Salam’ in the program caused significant distress to some members of our school community. For this, I would like to offer my apologies,” Hobbs wrote in a letter to the high school community.
Hobbs further said he recognized that his actions “could be seen as politically charged.”
Despite his apology, social media users are calling for Hobbs to be fired.
“My local high school with likely the most Jewish students in Ottawa is no longer a safe space,” wrote Howard Fremeth, the Business Council of Canada’s VP of Media and Stakeholder Relations.
“Total disrespect of our fallen warriors. Fire Principal Aaron Hobbs,” wrote another user.
Elsewhere in Ontario, a PhD student and York University lecturer, Aaliya Khan, filmed herself screaming “fuck you” to military veterans during a Remembrance Day ceremony. Khan has previously posted to her social media that she loves Hamas.
