OTTAWA — The decision by an Ottawa high school to include a Palestinian protest song as part of their Remembrance Day service hit a sour note with parents.
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Parents of students at Sir Robert Borden High School in Nepean told TheToronto Sun that the song, Haza Salam, was used as the soundtrack for a slide show during the service, a decision that left students feeling confused.
Erica, a parent at the school, said her daughter and her friends were confused during the slideshow, as they tried to identify the Arabic-language song using a music identification app.
“She was like, ‘What does this have to do with Canada?’” Erica said.
“She was very confused.”
Played on a repeating loop, the song was the only tune used for the slideshow’s soundtrack.
Released shortly after last year’s Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks, the song quickly became an anthem for anti-Israel activists.
After the service, she said her daughter and her friends identified it as a “missed opportunity” to tell Canada’s story of remembrance.
“The song could have been by any Canadian artist. An Indigenous artist,” Erica said.
“It was no longer about Remembrance Day, which is what was so upsetting to me. They missed the whole point of what Remembrance Day is.”
Anti-Israel activists in Canada spent the lead-up to Remembrance Day exploiting its symbolism to promote their causes, including organizers of a Nov. 26 rally in Mississauga that used poppies and “Lest we forget” symbolism to pay tribute to dead Hamas terror chief Yahya Sinwar.
Some even accuse Canada, the Legion and others of co-opting the poppy, claiming it was “stolen” from Palestinians and used to “symbolize and fuel war.”
Erica was one of many parents to contact the school and complain.
In a letter to parents, school principal Aaron Hobbs apologized to those who were upset by the inclusion of the song.
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“Our intention during the ceremony was to foster a message of peace and remembrance reflecting on the importance of unity and reconciliation,” he wrote, without elaborating what playing a Palestinian protest song was intended to reconcile.
“However, we recognize that the song chosen — while intended to highlight themes of peace — also inadvertently caused offence and discomfort to some students, and for that, we regret our choice.”
Invitations for comment to the Ottawa Carleton District School Board by the Toronto Sun went unacknowledged.
In a statement, the Jewish Federation of Ottawa said it was deeply concerned over the incident.
“Remembrance Day is a solemn time to pay tribute to Canadian veterans,” the statement read.
“Including a song associated with one side of an ongoing foreign conflict — especially one currently contributing to division and tension in our communities — reflects poor judgment for a public school setting.”
Monday’s incident comes just two years after two Sir Robert Borden students were charged with hate crimes after they allegedly painted a swastika on the floor and greeted Jewish students with a fake German accent and Nazi salutes.
Parents across Ontario have reacted with alarm over growing instances of anti-Israel and far-left activism in the province’s schools.
In September, parents of numerous Toronto schools were shocked when students as young as those in Grade 3 were forced to attend a political protest, disguised as a field trip, that quickly turned into an anti-Israel rally.
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