English equivalent of the Persian proverb "When there's fire, wet and dry burn together"

There's a well-known proverb in Persian, which, translated literally, goes like this:

Where there's fire, wet and dry burn together.
_{The original being ".وقتی آتش موجود باشد) تر و خشک با هم می سوزند)"}

In a large forest fire, both dry wood that can be ignited easily and wet wood that's hard to burn, burn. A good example of a context it's used in would be a principal punishing a whole class because of what few perpetrators did — so students that didn't deserve to be punished, (that is, the wet) burned alongside the ones that did. (that is, the dry)

Is there a proverb that would express the same thing in English? More specifically, is there a proverb that would convey the innocent receiving undeserved punishment?

Solution 1:

I really like the Persian proverb and see no reason why you couldn't use it in English conversation, although it may require some explanation. However, you could also use a phrase such as the Biblical proverb from Matthew 5:45:

The rain falls on the just and the unjust.

I believe the meaning is quite similar to the example you gave, since both the "just and the unjust" have the same treatment.

Solution 2:

One expression, which conveys the sense of consequences applying to everyone regardless of whether or not you feel they deserve it, is

A rising tide lifts all boats

This is often used in US political speech where a politician tries to justify a policy by claiming its benefits will help everyone. Because of this use, someone hearing this phrase may react unfavourably, either because of its connotation with politics or because it's usually not true in cases where it's used.

Another problem is that this is more of a positive statement (all boats being lifted is seen as a good thing) rather than a negative (all wood burning). You can't really use this statement in exactly the same way. I feel that there must be a better, negative, equivalent, but I can't recall it.

Solution 3:

Mr Shiny and New already offered one nautical idiom, but I might suggest

"We're all in the same boat"

as a closer match to your proverb.

The meaning is that whatever happens to the "boat" will affect everyone aboard.

Cambridge Dictionary defines this idiom as:

to be in the same unpleasant situation as other people