SA students from nearly fifty schools walk out over One Nation
Students from public and private schools across the state are joining an Australia-wide protest.
South Australian high school and university students will walk out of class today in a nationwide protest against One Nation and its leader Pauline Hanson.
Students from at least 46 schools were expected at the Parliament House protest at 1pm, including those from Adelaide High School, St Aloysius College, Christian Brothers College and Marryatville High School.
Student protest organiser Jordan Armstrong said there had been “absolutely huge momentum building for people wanting to fight back against One Nation here in South Australia, particularly in high schools”.
“We’ve been overwhelmed with just how many people are willing to come out from schools both in Adelaide but all across South Australia up to two hours away from the city,” the Adelaide University student said, hoping to have hundreds or even thousands of students attend.
A One Nation spokesperson declined to respond until this afternoon over the SA protest, but earlier today, Senator Hanson said about the national campaign that students should instead be protesting the cost-of-living crisis and stagnant national wage growth.
“The Labor Greens government is selling out your future, and you’ll inherit a weaker, poorer and less safe country,” she wrote.
“Whether you know it or not, One Nation and I are fighting for you.”
The protest, endorsed by the National Union of Students, was expected to last for about an hour, with speeches from high school and university students, as well as SA Greens MLC Melanie Selwood.
A counter-protest organised to support Pauline Hanson was expected to be held at Parliament House at the same time, with its organisers saying: “We’re showing up to peacefully support her and stand up for freedom of speech, secure borders, affordable housing, and common-sense policies”.
Armstrong said students opposing One Nation would also march through Rundle Mall, “making our presence known through the streets of Adelaide that students are standing against Hanson”.
“They’re talking about bringing back a white Australia policy, needing a monoculture – this is really extreme stuff – and we want to walk out of class to say that we say no to absolutely all of it,” he said.
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“This is about giving a voice to the millions of people in this country who despise everything One Nation stands for, and students are going to be that voice today.”
Hanson has denied wanting to bring back a white Australia policy after comments she made on a podcast with controversial anti-Islam figure Tommy Robinson, telling an event that her policies on immigration have “got nothing to do with the White Australia policy at all”.
Armstrong said there would be another student walk-out on September 17.
More to come
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