An Ontario MPP is calling for the firing of an Ottawa high school principal after it was revealed that the high school used a Palestinian song in Arabic as its soundtrack for this year’s Remembrance Day ceremony in a school with the highest volume of Jewish students in Ottawa.
As first reported by the National Post, Sir Robert Borden High School in Nepean, Ontario, replaced its Remembrance Day soundtrack with a Palestinian protest song, Hazam Salam, or “This is Peace,” by Mahim Ahmed. It was the only song on its Remembrance Day slideshow. The song is often used in anti-Israel videos depicting the toll of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
The song was released by Ahmed just months after Hamas’ deadly attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Ontario MPP Lisa MacCleod, who represents the Nepean riding where the school is located, has called for the principal, Aaron Hobbs, to be fired on X after the article revealed that he defended the use of the song to students.
According to the National Post, he said the song was chosen to “bring diversity and inclusion to Remembrance Day, which was “usually about a white guy who has done something related to the military.”
Neither Sir Robert Borden High School nor the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board responded to True North’s requests to comment.
In an apology letter to the school community, Hobbs said he recognizes that the song caused “significant distress” and that the focus of such a ceremony should “remain on honouring those who have sacrificed their lives for the freedoms we hold dear.”
MacLeod said on X that the school board had assured her that a “thorough investigation” into the “mishandling of their Remembrance service” was underway.
“I am assured student well-being is placed above all else,” she said. “I hope the incident will foster a greater understanding of Canadian values, our military and student success.”
In a previous post, MacLeod said the song didn’t follow Royal Canadian Legion protocol and “distressed Jewish students.”
She said the OCDSB director of education, Pino Buffante, shared MacLeod’s “anger, disappointment and utter confusion” about the “egregious” incident. She noted that the school’s namesake was a Prime Minister during World War 1.
The National Council of Canadian Muslims, however, took issue with MacLeod’s advocacy, claiming that the MPP’s frustration was because “a Remembrance Day service included a song in Arabic.”
“People are now saying the quiet part aloud: it is entirely preposterous to suggest that speaking a language like Arabic is tantamount to hate,” the NCCM said on X. “This recent statement is utterly unacceptable.”
MacLeod quipped back, stating that the Palestinian war song was a “politically charged move” and a distraction from the purpose of Remembrance Day. She said parents and students began looking at their phones for translations of the song rather than focusing on the sacrifices veterans made for Canada.
“If you respected our military history and the sacrifices for freedom, you wouldn’t have played this card,” she told NCCM on X. “My daughter graduated from SRB, and my husband is a veteran, so I won’t be taking any lessons from this organization related to this matter.”
The Jewish Federation of Ottawa also weighed in and affirmed that it stands by “those who have spoken out for the integrity of Remembrance Day and the respect it deserves” and thanked various student groups, parents and community members for bringing the issue into the national conversation.
“Including a song associated with one side of an ongoing foreign conflict—especially one currently contributing to division and tension in our communities—reflects poor judgment for a public school setting,” JFO said.
There have been several Pro-Palestinian incidents that have garnered national attention this year on Remembrance Day. Some included anti-Israel activists attempting to hold Remembrance Day-style vigils for terrorist leaders and student lecturers yelling “F*&$ you” to veterans.
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre called out the wave of incidents on X.
“What an absolute disgrace that so many woke activists & authorities used Remembrance Day to push their divisive and radical causes, denigrating our history and the brave military members who sacrificed for it,” Poilievre said. “We are a proud country with a proud history, and everyone who lives here should be grateful to call Canada home.”