*Editor’s note: Some students interviewed for this article preferred to stay anonymous due to ongoing issues.

On Thursday, Nov. 16, a group of students organized a second walkout in solidarity with Palestine on Edina High School’s campus. In addition to the liberation of the Palestinian territories, the walkout centered around EHS’s response to the previous Oct. 24 walkout and the lack of support or acknowledgment for Muslim students.

Students walk downhill behind Edina High School during the walkout for Palestine. (Lynn-Clara Tun)

Following an Instagram post by @ehswalkoutforpalestine calling for students to skip their commitments and join the protest, EHS students gathered outside door five during the allotted FLEX time. Organizers initiated chants, optional prayers, and delivered speeches to the crowd, leading the group and waving Palestinian flags and signs adorned with slogans. 

Some students showed frustration with the significantly lower number of protesters during the second walkout compared to the first. “We didn’t have a lot of people; we had much more people last time,” one organizer said. “Even if our numbers are chopped in half, I think we’re all very grateful for the people who showed up even though they knew there was a risk of suspension, a risk of getting hate-crimed, or a risk of being on the news.”

Prior to the event, students were encouraged by walkout organizers over Instagram to cover their faces using masks, sunglasses, or other items of clothing to ensure their identities would be protected. The organizers stated their choices to stay anonymous were not because they were ashamed of being seen. Speakers criticized the administration’s decisions regarding their coverage of the conflict. “They’re supposed to be there teaching and treating students equally, but they’re over here taking sides,” one of the speakers said.

“I think it’s good that there is solidarity among students, especially since this conflict is extremely far away. Like many observers could feel like ‘Why are we involved? Or why do we care?’” senior Raja Chinnakotla said. “But with the increasing amount of shells from Israel and their militaristic approach to Gaza, it is a human thing to feel for the suffering of Palestinians.” 

“Walking out is the acknowledgment that we know that Palestinians are suffering and that we condemn all the stuff that Israel is doing to Palestinians,” Chinnakotla continued.

Speakers focused on the mounting death toll among Palestinians and children. According to an article published by NBC News on Dec. 12, since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, close to 18,000 people have been killed in Gaza and 1,200 killed in Israel.

“This genocide is going on and killing our Muslim brothers and sisters, and we’re just going to sit here and be silent, aren’t we? No, we’re not!” another speaker said. “The school has been trying so hard to silence us since our previous walkout. They tried everything against us to get us in trouble. [EHS] suspended any that spoke out, and we’re sitting here allowing it? No, we can’t do that. We can’t give them that power, what’s going on here is disgusting.”

“Our core beliefs in Edina Public Schools are grounded in the inherent dignity of all people,” said Superintendent Dr. Stacie Stanley in an email sent on Oct. 23. Dr. Stanley sent the email to EHS students, families, and staff members in anticipation of the first walkout. “We respect and support the first amendment rights of our students to peacefully advocate for causes that are important to them.”

EHS Principal Paul Paetzel sent another email to EHS parents and students on Nov. 14 acknowledging a second walkout was planned. “Students have a first amendment right to free expression and peacefully advocate for causes that are important to them. These rights bring with them the responsibility to manage expression in a manner that is not disruptive, and any violations of district policy that takes place during a walkout event will be addressed in accordance with the district’s discipline policy 506,” he wrote.

Some faculty observed the protesters on Nov. 16, though their purpose was to protect, not punish. Laura Livesay, a cultural liaison and social worker at EHS, explained why she and other teachers accompanied the demonstration. “We support free speech,” she said. “But we know some people do not and their reaction might not be helpful or productive… [Protests are] not officially district sanctioned, in any capacity,” Livesay said. “If you’re willing to work with the adults, we want to be supportive of your rights and the student body as a whole.” 

Protesters and supporters criticized decisions made by the EHS administration during the first walkout, calling the attitude and response to the protest hostile. The Instagram account that organized the demonstration, @ehswalkoutforpalestine, alleged that students with Palestinian flags were denied re-entry to the school through door five, called antisemitic, and nonconsensually recorded by members of administration.

“The situation should be heard, we want to do demonstrations, we want to do walkouts. I think during the last walkout, there was a bunch of trying to silence students, basically,” senior Aisha Sharif said. “I think [the] administration should be more supportive of First Amendment speech and that it’s going to happen regardless [of] whether they want it to or not.”

“It’s clear Edina has an agenda when it comes to people of color. This is not the first time, of course,” an organizer said. “I honestly think a school should be neutral about a topic and not on one side. But Edina is clearly biased. I want them to be neutral because that is what a school is supposed to do.” 

EHS allegedly suspended two students for using the phrase, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” The Anti-Defamation League has deemed the slogan “hateful and antisemitic.” Conversely, according to an article from the Associated Press, “many Palestinian activists say it’s a call for peace and equality.”

When asked for an updated comment, EHS’s administration did not respond.

The suspended students filed a complaint alleging discrimination with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights through Palestine Legal, an organization that says it aims to protect the civil and constitutional rights of those voicing their support for Palestinians.

During speeches at the second walkout, students voiced their concerns over suspensions, community harassment, and emails regarding the protests from the school. They expressed uncertainty about EHS’s policies on what they were allowed to say and how the school’s response may affect their futures. “I feel highly disappointed [with the way the school has addressed the situation] because they suspended students for saying a certain chant which they didn’t tell us wasn’t allowed before,” a protest organizer said.

“I feel scared for my safety since a lot of people have been suspended,” the organizer continued. “There’s a lot of suspensions and I know the risks to participate in the protest, but I feel like [in] the end it’s worth it.”

Other students echoed this sentiment, calling for a space to speak freely and the potential for the school to create that support system. “Understanding that this conflict is a very politically charged conflict and the district allowing us space to express our emotions, but also learning about the facts and not hearing a biased, one-sided view of this conflict [is necessary] because I think it is very important for us to educate ourselves,” Chinnakotla said.

Other students questioned what they called hypocrisy from the administration regarding the EHS curriculum’s instruction on genocide and marginalized groups. “We’re learning about civil disobedience and boycotts and all these amazing political figures who made a lot of change in the world, and then [they] expect the students not to be the same and not to actually look up to these people and use their voice,” Sharif said. “When the students finally have [the] courage to do or say something, I think that’s really important.”

Chinnakotla perceives that the school is unwilling to allow students to use tactics they learned about from protests throughout history in their own activism. “Major historical figures, [from] Malcolm X to anti-apartheid movements, have been quite supportive of [advocating for Palestinian rights],” he said. In Chinnakotla’s view, the stigma surrounding walking out and speaking one’s mind prevents students from understanding their education and transferring it to the real world. “There are many stakeholders that students are learning about, and having the knowledge and understanding [of] who supports [what] and why allows us to understand that we’re actually using…what we’re learning in the classroom.”

Students noted the importance of understanding one’s privilege, especially as it relates to seemingly distant issues. “When we’re in a space where we’re not being truly educated about the issues, we’re more ignorant to what is really happening,” Chinnakotla said, “and [we’re] not understanding the contextual reasons for why this conflict is happening, and understanding what we as students of Edina and Americans can actually do.”