http://theage.com.au/breaking/0103/08/A27780-2001Mar8.shtml School girl unrepentant after anti-Hanson suspension Source: AAP|Published: Thursday March 8, 3:19 PM An Adelaide schoolgirl suspended for handing out anti-Pauline Hanson posters was unrepentant today when she led a protest rally against the One Nation leader in Adelaide. Jessica Griffin-Smith, 13, was suspended for three days by the Mitcham Girls High School for displaying two posters informing students of today's protest rally. Ms Griffin-Smith said she would risk suspension again in order to stay true to her beliefs. She was among a group of about 50 teenagers who gathered outside an Adelaide hotel today, where Ms Hanson was due to speak to the South Australian press club. Ms Griffin-Smith said she put up two posters about today's rally at her school before being summoned by the principal Virginia Gill. She was disciplined for 30 minutes and returned home to find the school had rung her father and told him she had been suspended for three days. "I don't think my behaviour was outstanding or whatever they thought it was," Ms Griffin-Smith said at the rally. "They think that I have been promoting this demonstration for a long time but I have only been doing it for the past week. "It's just for something I believe in." Ms Griffin-Smith said her father was supportive of her stance. "He was quite surprised, he said look don't worry I'm proud of you for standing up for something you obviously want to do with your life," she said. She said today's protest was aimed at telling Ms Hanson she was not welcome in South Australia. Ms Griffin-Smith said she would repeat her actions if required. Asked if it was worth being suspended from school, she said: "For sure". Ms Gill has said the school was not against freedom of speech, but did not want students to attend rallies on a school day. "You can't hand out material encouraging students to miss a day of school," she told the Adelaide Advertiser. Ms Gill was not available for comment. -- Leftlink - Australia's Broad Left Mailing List mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Archived at http://www.cat.org.au/lists/leftlink/ Sponsored by Melbourne's New International Bookshop Subscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=subscribe%20leftlink Unsubscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20leftlink
