Glen Korstrom
Northern News Services

NNSL (Sep 15/99) - About 175 students at Sir John Franklin high school gathered in protest outside the school after what they consider an unfair student council election decision.

The protest was in response to administration's forcing their candidate to withdrawal from the contest after "inappropriate" election posters were placed around the school.

Principal Mieke Cameron said several students complained about sexist and racist posters.

Cameron said she consulted the candidate, Aziz Ahmed, and his supporters and then took some time to think about what to do.

Then she talked to staff before deeming that the posters were inappropriate and the candidate should withdrawal. One slogan urged students to vote for the first black president (even though Cameron said she knows of at least two past black presidents at Sir John).

The other poster said Aziz would "do women right."

"You don't campaign on the basis of race," Cameron told a crowd of about 175 students in the Sir John parking lot yesterday.

The crowd alternately heckled her and chanted the name "Aziz" before everyone moved inside to the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre to continue their rally.

"We have 650 students in this school from all races so it's inappropriate to campaign on race," said Cameron.

Ahmed said the poster that he would "do women right" could be taken two ways and the administration chose to read it in a negative way.

Still, he said he had nothing to do with the poster despite Cameron's assertion that a teacher saw him putting one of the posters up.

"Before the election campaign started we had a meeting with all the candidates and we discussed how important it is to treat each other in a respectful and appropriate way," Cameron said.

"No other candidates had posters that were inappropriate."

Another poster of Aziz' that was deemed offensive, other students saw as a simple joke. "Free beer on weekends," it read.

Tuesday's protest didn't end at the school. By mid-afternoon the group had marched down Franklin Ave. to the school district office.

While students said Ahmed and other students were able to meet with board officials Tuesday afternoon, the board didn't return our calls by press time.

The executive that won the Sept. 10 election and was cheered at a dance that night include Grade 12 Chris Buchanan as president, Grade 11 Janet Wong as vice- president, Grade 12 Meagan Munro as sports representative and Grade 11 Ruth Proulx as publicity director.

The secretary treasurer spot is vacant.