A father has unleashed at his seven-year-old daughter's school after he claims she was asked to participate in a "group apology" to Australia's Stolen Generations, in the lead-up to the country's National Sorry Day on Monday.
In a now-viral video shared to TikTok on Saturday, Chris Primod claimed his daughter and her classmates were made to participate in a "group apology" to the Stolen Generations, a term that refers to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who were taken from their families by federal and state government agencies and church missions during the 20th century.
Every year on May 26, National Sorry Day is held to remember the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who were forcibly removed from their families and communities, to acknowledge the strength of Stolen Generations survivors, and reflect on healing and reconciliation.
But in his video, Primod strenuously objected to children being "forced to apologise" for "something they had absolutely nothing to do with".
"My seven-year-old daughter came home today and told me that her and her classmates had to participate in a group apology to the Stolen Generations. Now, I have no problem with any of my children learning about it - that's completely fine," Primod said in the clip, which has since been viewed over 321,000 times.
"What I won't tolerate and what I won't accept is any of my children being forced to apologise for something that they had absolutely nothing to do with.
"Stop playing your woke games with our children. Our children are already being welcomed to the country that they're born in, and now they're being told that they're personally responsible for those horrific events [sic]."
Primod's opinion was mostly well-received by his viewers, many of whom took to the comments to agree with him.
"This is appalling. What on earth is wrong with the education system. Australia has lost the plot," one declared, while a second added: "I just want to know at what point do we all move on together as a society, all this apologising and saying sorry just continues to instil a divide."
"That is absolutely insane," a third said, with a fourth commenting: "That's outrageous, those poor kids probably don't even understand why they're apologising either, they're still so young."
"A lot of us weren't even born when it occurred in the first place," another weighed in.
"Absolutely agree, they are NOT responsible for past government policies... it's about acknowledgement and awareness NOT blame," one woman wrote.
Those who disagreed with Primod pointed out that acknowledging past injustices to Australia's First Peoples was important for children to learn.
As per the Daily Mail, teachers in New South Wales (NSW) were provided resources by the NSW Department of Education regarding National Sorry Day and National Reconciliation Week, which began on May 27.
The resources described National Sorry Day as "a time to remember the past policies of forced child removal and reflect on the sad and painful stories of the Stolen Generations".
"It is a time to recognise the resilience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the power of saying Sorry," a resource reads, as per the Daily Mail.
"National Reconciliation Week is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia."
Schools across the state will participate in events and activities throughout the week, including reconciliation walks, ceremonies, assemblies and morning teas with local Aboriginal Elders.
Primod has shared other controversial opinions to his social media, including videos on Australia's "war against men", anti-vaccination sentiments, and a meme that reads: "We need less women with OnlyFans and more with OnlyPans".
