A meeting of Peel District School Board (PDSB) trustees was interrupted by a group of noisy pro-Palestinian protesters on Nov. 28, causing officials to move to a private room to finish business. Video of the Nov. 28 meeting shows a group in the gallery standing up and chanting about 15 minutes after it began. Chairperson David Green asked them not to disturb the meeting and requested that they respect the board meeting. The meeting continued with the group shouting and clapping, and they started chanting “Let them speak.”
Mr. Green clarified to the trustees that a delegation request had been made and called for order in the boardroom several times, but the group continued to shout at the trustees. Pro-Palestinian rallies and protests have been held across Canada, calling for a ceasefire in Gaza following the conflict between Israel and Hamas in October. A recess was called at the PDSB meeting and the trustees reconvened in a private room to continue with the meeting. Around 40 minutes after the meeting started, voices could be heard shouting outside the room and then there was knocking on the door. The knocking then turned to loud pounding on the door, and councillors could be heard saying such behaviour was “not reasonable.” The protesters were then able to get the door open and attempted to enter the room, at which point the meeting was adjourned.
A pro-Palestinian group had made two social media posts inviting supporters to attend the school board meeting, but didn’t clarify what they wanted to discuss or achieve by attending the meeting. The school board acknowledged the disruption in an email to The Epoch Times and confirmed that no arrests were made. The email also reiterated the commitment of the board to reinforce a sense of community, support, and care for students, educators, and staff in schools, worksites, and classrooms. The director of education for Peel District School Board also issued a statement regarding the conflict in the Middle East and the support available for those affected by it.