Students forced to attend field trip to Toronto anti-Israel protest told to ‘wear blue’ to identify them as ‘colonizers’

The story initially broke on social media and received no coverage from the mainstream media. But family members remain outraged that grade seven and eight kids were told they were going on a field trip to learn about the Grassy Narrows First Nation’s long-time water contamination crisis and instead were led to a pro-Palestine protest.

Not only did teachers deceive both parents and students about the nature of the exercise, but they reportedly asked the students to wear blue shirts so that they could be identified as “colonizers” and “settlers.” Mona, a relative of one of the students forced to march, told the Toronto Sun that her cousin was told to wear blue as a “colonizer” and that she “was very upset” over the program because she is Jewish. When she told her teacher that the chanting was making her feel uncomfortable, the teacher allegedly told her, "You’ll get over it."

Another student had recently come to Canada from India and reportedly told his teacher that he was not about to be called a “colonizer.”

Ontario Education Minister Jill Dunlop said she was “deeply disappointed” over the incident, according to the Sun.

“Compromising the security and safety of students is unacceptable,” her statement read. “I expect TDSB to conduct a thorough review and to ensure accountability and clear communication with parents and students to prevent such incidents in the future.”

In an attempt to explain what had happened in a statement on Thursday, the TDSB acknowledged that it probably shouldn’t be school policy to force students to engage in political protests, especially when teachers tell them they are going to be doing something entirely different. “The TDSB will also be reviewing its field trip procedures to provide guidance that upholds the safety and well-being of students,” a statement read, according to the Sun.

The Elementary Teachers of Toronto appeared unaware of the problem when the group posted on X that they were “Marching the streets with students, parents & teachers united in our demand for justice for @FreeGrassy. Clean water is a human right. We’re here to ensure that right is honored for all communities. Together we can create a future where every child thrives with clean water & air.”

Toronto police infamously served coffee to anti-Israel protesters as they stood on a bridge in a Jewish part of the city. Far-left pro-Palestinian protesters shut down the Toronto gay pride parade this summer.