Former Students Are Suing A Melbourne High School Over Antisemitism Allegations
“We’re talking here about a normalised culture of antisemitism.”
Five former students of Melbourne’s Brighton Secondary College have launched a lawsuit against the school, alleging they were subjected to antisemitic bullying and discrimination during their time at the school.
The former students — three of which are still minors — allege they experienced physical and verbal bullying from both students and teachers during their time at the school, between 2013 and 2020.
Brighton Secondary College principal Richard Minack, as well as two current teachers — Paul Varney and Demi Flessa — are named in the suit, in addition to the school and the state of Victoria for allegedly having condoned the behaviour. All respondents deny the allegations according to defence barrister Chris Young.
Minack, in particular, is accused of endorsing Nazis and calling Jews “subhuman” among other things, according to barrister Adam Butt. “He endorsed his Nazi father as a good man and at least once referred to Jews as subhuman, evil, the N-word,” Butt told the court of Minack’s alleged conduct.
More broadly, the school and its faculty stand accused of normalising antisemitism and failing to act on assault allegations after two students claimed they were held at knifepoint by their classmates.
One student told the court his kippah was torn from his head and thrown in the bin, while his locker was graffitied with the words “Heil Hitler”, among countless other allegations of antisemitic bullying. Nazi salutes and swastika graffiti were also common at the school, claimed Butt.
The students behind the lawsuit allege they contacted the school on numerous occasions after being subjected to anti-semitic and pro-Nazi bullying, but the school reportedly did nothing.
“Four out of five of my clients had to leave Brighton part way through a school year because the hostile school environment was intolerable,” Butt said. “We’re talking here about a normalised culture of antisemitism.”
According to the students’ lawyer, “they didn’t feel like they could be openly Jewish at the school”.