School in Washington State Gets Tagged With Swastika, Principal Calls it a ‘Symbol of Peace’
“While the symbol is often associated with hate and intolerance due to its use during World War II, it is important to acknowledge that the swastika has deep historical and cultural significance in other parts of the world”
The principal has been placed on leave. She first sent a notice to parents calling the symbol an act of hate but then sent another message to parents trying to be inclusive because the symbol appears in some eastern cultures. Big mistake.
Jason Rantz reports at KTTH Radio:
Rantz: Bellevue elementary school principal defends swastika in email to students, parents
If you’re wondering why antisemitism is spreading so virulently in area schools, look to Phantom Lake Elementary in Bellevue where a principal defended the swastika as “a symbol of peace.”
The Bellevue School District has seen a rise in antisemitism since the October 7 terrorist attack by Hamas against Israel. Hamas-sympathizing students have targeted Jewish classmates, chanting “Gas the Jews.” At Phantom Lake Elementary, someone tagged the west wall on campus with a swastika. Principal Heather Snookal sent an email to parents addressing the incident but then followed up with an email to defend swastikas as not inherently hateful, indicating it’s sometimes appropriate to display.
“While the symbol is often associated with hate and intolerance due to its use during World War II, it is important to acknowledge that the swastika has deep historical and cultural significance in other parts of the world,” Snookal wrote. “I apologize that I didn’t acknowledge this in my previous communication.”
Snookal went on to say the swastika “is a symbol of peace, prosperity and good fortune” in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and other cultures.
“As a school committed to inclusivity and cultural understanding, we want to ensure that our students from all backgrounds feel welcomed, valued and celebrated. We also want to make sure our community is educated about the diverse meanings and histories behind symbols like the swastika so that we can all avoid misunderstandings that could inadvertently marginalize or hurt our students,” she continued.
Here’s a video report:
Featured image via YouTube.
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Comments
and by “eastern cultures” she meant the current white house
Poor principal. She simply got run over by the cross-traffic in an intersectionality. You simply can’t always make everyone happy, and you only damage yourself trying,
Don’t feel sorry for the principal, just a mouthpiece for the leftie administration of the state and the school system. Not bright enough to know when to keep her mouth shut.
So I should be able to fly the dixie rebel flag as a symbol of state’s rights then, right?
Hindu swastika lies on its side. Nazi swastika is 45 degrees from that.
Elementary school students can be foolish and ignorant. Principals should be able to do better.
Google “swastika, ny”.
The Nazis tainted the symbol. It’s sad but true that it will be tainted forever.
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the article I read stated that she
first CONDEMNED the swastika as a hate symbol, and was then reprimanded by parents and the school board for being culturally insensitive, because the swastika is a symbol of peace in eastern countries.
So now she gives in to those bullies (who knew that in this instance, it was NOT a symbol of peace), and she is being online lynched by everyone else.
so she cannot win, and she should not have apologized to begin with
She was 100% right. A swastika is not inherently hateful, and sometimes it is appropriate to display one. It depends on the context, and in the context of graffiti on a school wall in the USA it’s hateful. In the context of graffiti almost anywhere in North America or Europe it’s hateful . But there exist contexts where it isn’t, and it’s important to be aware of that, without in any way denying that in this context it was hateful.