On Oct. 11, McLean students gathered together for a Highlander Time walkout to express support for Palestine and Lebanon. The walkout comes amid Israeli airstrikes, which have prompted students to protest and raise awareness about the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
“It’s not about money, power or politics; it’s about humanity and how people shouldn’t be treated,” said sophomore Martina Cantua, one of the speakers at the walkout. “No one should ever be susceptible to such a thing.”
According to officials from the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health, Israel has struck targets across Lebanon, taking over 2,255 lives over the past year. The current war began in Oct. 7, 2023, when the Palestinian militant group Hamas and allied groups attacked Israel from the blockaded Gaza Strip, killing 1,200 people. Israeli forces launched a retaliatory attack on Gaza, subsequently killing 42,000 civilians and constituting a ‘plausible genocide’ against Palestinians according to the International Court of Justice.
“Many people are dying, being displaced and face a lack of food and water. They know nothing but fear,” said sophomore Jude Eljazzar, a walkout organizer. “A lot of my family lives [in Lebanon], so I want to raise awareness about the situation.”
The protest was organized by a coalition consisting of the Muslim Student Association, the Black Student Union (BSU) and the International Club. Two days before the walkout, the clubs held a joint meeting to create posters and banners for students to hold during the walkout.
“Other schools had their walkouts around this time, so we do it so that it aligns with [them],” said senior Layla Carter, BSU president. “[This helps in] informing FCPS how serious the situation is and how much we care about it.”
Students had the option to either report to their fourth period classroom or participate in the protest, which was marked as an unexcused absence for attendees. A couple dozen opted to attend the walkout.
“It gives me hope [to know] that there are so many good people out there who want to help,” Cantua said. “It’s really hopeful to see the many communities that are supporting this issue.”
Principal Ellen Reilly sent families an email regarding the walkout a day before the rally. She informed families that the protest was to be safe and undisruptive.
“FCPS does not oppose, nor endorse, any of the calls to action,” Reilly wrote. “Students engaging in discriminatory harassment or hate speech will be disciplined in accordance with the FCPS SR&R.”
McLean administrators and staff were present during the walkout, along with staff members from the Gatehouse Administration Center. During the walkout, a staff member reported a banner that read, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” as antisemitic.
“Problems are always going to happen. It’s a sensitive topic, and I can understand why we can be seen as antisemitic, but it’s not [antisemitic],” Carter said. “I feel like people try to take our words and twist them around when they’re not trying to see what we actually mean.”
Following the protest, Reilly sent an email to address this situation.
“During the walkout, some students used antisemitic language, and it was quickly stopped by staff members,” Reilly wrote. “In partnership with the Chief Equity Office, we will continue to work within our school community to have dialogues about dignity, humanization and belonging.”
This is the second walkout by McLean students raising their voices about the conflict in the Middle East, with the first being last October. For students, protests are an important opportunity to raise their voices on global issues.
“As students, we’re quite literally the future,” Cantua said. “[Equipped] with examples of previous wars and conflicts between nations, we have the privilege to learn from [these] mistakes and teach the future generations that the world can change.”
