“Bring him back! Sheik Wesam!” and “Free Free Palestine!” chanted students and community members early on February 26 outside Granville Boys High School.
More than 100 high school students, of all ages, parents and community members rushed to the school to demand that Sheik Wesam Charkawi be allowed back into his place of work.
The NSW Department of Education forced Charkawi to work from home on February 24 and then barred him from entering the school for an alleged breach of its social media policy and code of ethics.
Charkawi, convener of The Muslim Vote, is an outspoken pro-Palestinian activist, He has been employed as a student support officer for 13 years.
Charkawi allegedly breached the social media policy with an Instagram post on February 16, in which he explained the government ministers’ hypocrisy in condemning two nurses engaging in anti-Israel commentary at Bankstown Hospital, but not condemning Israel’s murder of Gazan children.
The post has been removed.
Activists from Teachers and School Staff for Palestine – NSW, Ziad Basyouny, independent for Watson, Ahmed Ouf, independent for Blaxland and Rachel Evans, Socialist Alliance for Sydney, together with students, community members and parents demanded the popular Charkawi be allowed to return.
Sheikh Kamel Hamed, Imam at Rahma Mosque in Guilford, also led chants. He called on the department to “listen to the youth; they want Sheikh Wesam back”.
An activist from Teachers and School Staff for Palestine – NSW told Green Left: “We have all been warned to keep quiet about Palestine. The department is trying to silence us. We need to stand up.”
Students inside the school were prevented from joining people outside the school, being told by security guards to return to class. But they stood their ground for an hour, chanting and, only after Sheikh Hamed addressed them did they return to class.
A Palestinian activist and parent of a Granville High school student told GL: “The students will continue their campaign until Wesam is let back into school. He is well liked.”