Appalled by the genocide being committed against the Palestinian people in Gaza, hundreds of students at two high schools in Windsor staged a walk out of class Monday afternoon, demanding more action from local leaders.

Leaving their second-period class, students gathered at the Vollmer Complex in LaSalle. Among them was an individual who lost 16 family members in Gaza last week.

For organizer Iman Ahmer Khan, the goal of Monday’s walkout was to stand in solidarity with people like them.

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“They’re basically mourning the genocide of their family members right now,” she told Windsor CTV News.

Organizers also urged local leaders in government and school board positions to take more action to provide support.

“Mental health assistance for Palestinian students, as well as countering antisemitism and Islamophobia to create a more inclusive environment for students who are going through such a hard time,” Ahmer Khan added.

The walkout came as Ceasefire Now, a loose coalition of 42 high school student groups in Ontario, coordinated a student walkout on November 13 to ask institutions and political leaders to call for an immediate ceasefire.

The Palestinian death toll in Gaza has risen to more than 11,360 killed in Israeli attacks since October 7.

The number includes 4,609 children, 3,100 women, and 678 elderly people.