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He said he was subjected to constant physical and verbal attacks, was called a “Jew” and spat, his notebook was disfigured with Stars of David, his kippa was thrown in the trash, money was thrown at him, and he was called a “dirty Jew” or called a “baker.” He experienced Nazi salutes and “Heil Hitlers.”
He said there were “swastikas everywhere”: in the bathroom, in the classroom, on the tables, and under the tables. He said he would report each incident to the trustees’ office, but said his reports were “never” followed.
Butt told the court that anti-Semitic incidents at school escalated after students studied the graphic novel Maus, which deals with the horrors of the Holocaust, and after a speech by director Richard’s assembly. Minack.
Butt said in the speech Minack endorsed a Nazi relative as a good man and called the Jews “subhuman or evil.” Butt told the court that Minack used the word “N” three times and called the Jews “subhuman” four times.
“It is claimed that there was a normalized culture of anti-Semitism, and the actions of students and staff went substantially unpunished,” he said.
Chris Young, QC, acting on behalf of the state of Victoria and educational staff, denied the allegations made against them.
Young said each of the five complainants’ allegations should be proven individually. He said they would describe the steps the principal and staff took to punish the evils and said the school had a number of policies in place to deal with harassment and racism.
The case comes a month after the Victorian government announced it was introducing new laws to criminalize the swastika, in which criminals could face up to 12 months in prison.
The trial continues before Judge Debra Mortimer on Thursday.