Morgane Oger

Based on a true story…

A mob descends on a school, outraged a district anti-bullying coordinator is reading a kids book in the classroom.

The mob targets the teacher’s identity, religion, or even their message of inclusion and demands their removal “to protect children” from the social contagion the teacher represents to them.

The school panics and sends the educator home quietly, caving in to the demands of the people claiming to be outraged parents.

This isn’t just hypothetical—such incidents are becoming alarmingly more common, and this specific incident, just shared with me today, happened in Metro Vancouver in November 2024.

British Columbians can not allow fear and bias to infect our public spaces or our classrooms.

When hate infiltrates our schools, our response must be decisive. Capitulating—by canceling lessons or removing targeted teachers—emboldens bigots.

It signals that threats and intimidation work. It encouraged the fringe to become bolder and bolder. Worse, it undermines the safety and inclusivity of our schools, leaving marginalized students and staff vulnerable.

The consequences of yielding to hate are far-reaching. Students from marginalized groups see their identities attacked, fostering alienation and mistrust in the system. Educators become hesitant to teach critical lessons about diversity and compassion, fearing backlash. Communities polarize, and the fundamental values of equity and inclusion erode.

Bigots—whether racist, transphobic, or otherwise—pose a risk to all of us. Their attacks may start with one person, but their aim is to dismantle the inclusive principles that bind us as a society. Please don’t let this happen.

There is no negotiating with hate, and there is nothing gained from giving up ground to it. It must be confronted directly. Schools must stand firm in protecting staff and students, unequivocally rejecting intimidation and upholding their role as spaces of safety and learning for all. Capitulating to hate isn’t just a failure of leadership and governance—it’s a betrayal of the very values that make our society strong.