10.06.26
Editorial Note
Anti-Israel activism and BDS calls in Australia are not new. In August 2024, Israel Academia Monitor (IAM) reported on “BDS Infiltrating Australian Campuses.”
On March 26, 2026, an anti-Israel protest took place at the University of Sydney. One of the posters used by activists featured Handala, a cartoon figure depicted as a barefoot child with his back turned and hands clasped behind him. The poster also showed red markings resembling blood splattered over the logos of Israeli universities.
In mid-May, the University authorities launched an investigation into the posters. The University wrote to two students it believed were involved in producing the material, warning that they may have breached student conduct rules. In the letter, the university said the posters targeted Israeli universities, which it described as civilian academic institutions rather than government bodies. It said portraying those institutions as complicit in apartheid could risk collective blame and potentially affect visiting students. The letter also raised concerns about the red slashes or smears across the university logos, saying they could be interpreted as blood splatter and could be seen as implicitly endorsing or inciting violence.
A Jewish newspaper, J-Wire, noted that the investigation follows a separate controversy involving Honi Soit, the University’s student newspaper, after a Honi Soit article called for support for listed terrorist organizations and used intifada rhetoric. J-Wire noted that the article was later removed, and the University said it would strengthen oversight and accountability at the publication.
Interestingly, Honi Soit, the student newspaper, reported on June 1, 2026, about a rally against the University of Sydney’s investigation. Approximately 50 students, staff, and members of the public protested on 20 May outside the Fisher Library, demanding that the University “immediately drop disciplinary proceedings against two students over a Palestine solidarity poster calling for ‘No Exchange with Israeli Apartheid’.” Honi Soit added that the protest was organized by Students Against War (SAW) and that the rally comes after an open letter launched by SAW gained more than 800 signatures, including from academics, students and others. Speakers at the rally included a recently returned activist from the Sumud Flotilla, as well as representatives from Sydney University Staff for Palestine and the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU), among others.
Honi Soit added that the protesters claimed that the “allegations are politically motivated attempts to silence criticism of Israel and suppress pro-Palestine activism on campus.”
According to Honi Soit, Students for Palestine (SFP) published a statement on social media condemning the “intimidation and the racism.” The group stated, “This particular complaint is extremely concerning and exposes an escalating pattern of anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian racism… Falsely claiming that a symbol of Palestinian identity and dignity calls for, endorses, or incites violence, or associates with and promotes antisemitism denies the lived experiences of Palestinians under Israeli occupation and genocide. The University of Sydney has repeatedly abused such complaints to put students through serious distress and risk, via lengthy and complex disciplinary processes, in attempts to punish on-campus support for Palestine and dissent to the University’s ties with Israel’s ongoing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza,” SFP stated.
Honi Soit added that Students Against War (SAW) activists defended the protest poster and the campaign for an academic boycott of Israeli institutions. They stated that the University of Sydney is “saying that our poster with blood splatter on Israeli university logos like the Hebrew University of Jerusalem is inciting violence against Israeli universities… The blood splatter represents the blood-soaked record these universities have in the genocide and occupation of Palestinian people. The Israeli universities we are protesting are not just civilian institutions, as Sydney University claims. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem runs the Havatzalot program which trains members of the Israeli Military Intelligence Directorate. Academic boycotts were used against South African apartheid, we have to build them up again against Israeli apartheid.”
At the end of its article, Honi Soit added an Editors’ Note, stating, “The University of Sydney has asked Honi Soit to clarify that it does not ‘charge’ students. Under the complaints process, matters may be referred as misconduct allegations, and that, as no formal finding was made in this case, it would be incorrect to say the students were found innocent.”
On the same day, also on June 1, 2026, the University published an announcement on its website titled “University responds to recent commentary about complaints received regarding posters on campus.” It stated that “When we notified the students involved of the complaints and the concerns raised with the University, we were clear it was the combined effect of the language and imagery used on the poster – including the use of what may be construed as blood splatters over the names of Israeli institutions and the Handala image – that may be inconsistent with University policies and codes of conduct, including in relation to the safety and wellbeing of members of the University community.”
The University clarified, “In the context of this poster, we considered its use not to breach University policy. However, we confirmed that the imagery on the poster, including the red slashes or smears, could reasonably be interpreted as signaling or condoning harm towards the named institutions and individuals associated with them. Material that has that effect, including material that contributes to fear, anxiety or exclusion within the University community, is inconsistent with students’ obligations under the University policy. The students’ conduct was found to fall short of the standards of behavior expected by the University, and appropriate action was taken, including a direction to not use the specific imagery of blood splatter over institutional logos, or similar violent imagery on University lands again.”
Israel Academia Monitor (IAM) notes that some student newspapers have become a tool for anti-Israel activism. Some studies and reports by student newspapers support the notion of pro-Palestinian bias. For instance, many student newspapers devoted extensive coverage to the Palestinian issue, often presenting it through frames and headline choices that critics viewed as sympathetic to the Palestinian cause. Some publications went beyond news coverage and adopted explicit political positions. The Harvard Crimson, for example, endorsed the BDS movement in 2022. Pro-Israel and Jewish students frequently received less favorable treatment or found it more difficult to secure comparable representation for their perspectives, contributing to the skewed portrayal of the conflict.
The University of Sydney’s decision to strengthen its oversight of student-media publications represents an important step toward improving accountability and ensuring that editorial standards are applied consistently. IAM will continue to report on these developments.
REFERENCES:
1 June 2026University responds to recent commentary about complaints received regarding posters on campusThe University of Sydney has issued a public statement and addressed some misrepresentations being made online.
The University’s full statement is below.
There’s been a lot of misinformation around this matter, and given some incorrect public commentary we believe it is important to provide broader context and to correct the record.
Our complaints process
As a university, we’re required to assess all complaints we receive in a manner that’s procedurally fair and consistent with our policies. Where a complaint relates to student conduct, that includes notifying the student of the complaint made, explaining the relevant process, including the possible pathways for resolution, and inviting them to provide their response. We then consider the complaint and the student’s response before deciding next steps, including whether it would be appropriate to commence disciplinary action.
That’s what we did in this case, after receiving multiple complaints about the display of a particular poster on our campus.
Combined effect of language and imagery
When we notified the students involved of the complaints and the concerns raised with the University, we were clear it was the combined effect of the language and imagery used on the poster – including the use of what may be construed as blood splatters over the names of Israeli institutions and the Handala image – that may be inconsistent with University policies and codes of conduct, including in relation to the safety and wellbeing of members of the University community.
At no point did the University make allegations of misconduct against the students involved, or threaten them with expulsion or suspension, as has been incorrectly claimed and reported.
Outcome of our considerations
While the University does not typically comment on individual student outcomes, some misleading commentary being generated by certain student groups and other individuals means we are compelled to provide additional context to address some misrepresentations.
We can confirm that, after careful and fair consideration of the poster and its particular context against applicable University policies and codes of conduct, we finalised the complaints and notified the students of the outcome last week.
We found that although some interpret the Handala symbol as opposing Jewish self-determination, or being associated with violence, its meaning is contested and context-dependent. In the context of this poster, we considered its use not to breach University policy.
However, we confirmed that the imagery on the poster, including the red slashes or smears, could reasonably be interpreted as signalling or condoning harm towards the named institutions and individuals associated with them. Material that has that effect, including material that contributes to fear, anxiety or exclusion within the University community, is inconsistent with students’ obligations under University policy.
The students’ conduct was found to fall short of the standards of behaviour expected by the University, and appropriate action was taken, including a direction to not use the specific imagery of blood splatter over institutional logos, or similar violent imagery on University lands again.
Despite certain claims, recent protest activity and a petition had no impact on our decision.
Our commitment to freedom of speech and academic freedom
We remain absolutely committed to freedom of speech and academic freedom, including the rights of students and staff to engage in lawful political expression and protest on difficult and contested issues. At the same time, those freedoms exist alongside the University’s obligations to foster a safe, respectful and inclusive environment for all members of the community.
We recognise that these issues are deeply felt across our community and encourage respectful engagement, particularly where views differ strongly.
If anyone in our community feels unsafe or witnesses antisemitic, discriminatory or harassing behaviour of any sort, we have a support network in place so they can alert us and we can take action.
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USyd students rally against disciplinary proceedings over Israeli university boycott poster
By James Fitzgerald Sice June 1, 2026 NEWS
On 20 May at 1pm, approximately 50 students, staff, and members of the public protested outside Fisher Library to demand the University of Sydney (USyd) immediately drop disciplinary proceedings against two students over a Palestine solidarity poster calling for “No Exchange with Israeli Apartheid.” The protest was organised by Students Against War (SAW).
The rally comes after an open letter launched by SAW gained more than 800 signatures in under two weeks, including from academics, students, journalists, politicians, and public figures such as author Yanis Varoufakis, Palestinian-Australian activist Nasser Mashni, American journalist Chris Hedges, NSW Greens MP Jenny Leong, and Senator Fatima Payman.
Speakers at the rally included Ethan Floyd, a Wiradjuri, Wailwan & Ngiyampaa activist and USyd alumnus who recently returned from the Sumud Flotilla after being kidnapped by Israel, journalist and activist Wendy Bacon, Greens MP Jenny Leong, and representatives from Sydney University Staff for Palestine, Autonomous Collective Against Racism, SAW, and the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU).
University alleges antisemitism over Israeli boycott poster
Two students were facing disciplinary action after USyd issued them with a Notice of Complaint on 5 May, claiming the poster may constitute “antisemitic material”. Protestors claimed this complaint could have led to disciplinary action as severe as expulsion or suspension.
A USyd spokesperson told Honi Soit that “at no point did the University make allegations of misconduct against the students involved, or threaten them with expulsion or suspension, as has been incorrectly claimed and reported”.
The university specifically objected to the inclusion of the Handala symbol, a well-known cartoon figure of a Palestinian child created by Palestinian cartoonist Naji al-Ali in 1969. Handala is a boy, forever 10 years old, because this is the age Ali was when his family was displaced and dispossessed during the Nakba in 1948. The Handala cartoon is a common symbol in protest placards, street art, and posters. The complaint stated the cartoon is “considered by some to be associated with violence against Israeli citizens or a symbol against Jewish self-determination”.
The complaint notice also alleged that red paint-like markings across the logos of Israeli universities “could be seen as implicitly endorsing or inciting violence,” and stated that opposing exchange programs with Israeli universities “risks amounting to collective blame”.
Protestors at the rally stated that the allegations are politically motivated attempts to silence criticism of Israel and suppress pro-Palestine activism on campus. In a joint statement posted on social media, the Students Representative Council (SRC), its collectives, and Students for Palestine (SFP) publicly condemned the “intimidation and the racism represented by the attack on the Handala”.
“This complaint is just one example of many politically-motivated complaints toward pro-Palestine staff and students over the past two and a half years. This particular complaint is extremely concerning and exposes an escalating pattern of anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian racism,” the statement read.
“It is shameful that the University of Sydney has attacked student groups for using Handala, a prominent symbol for peace and justice. Falsely claiming that a symbol of Palestinian identity and dignity calls for, endorses, or incites violence, or associates with and promotes antisemitism denies the lived experiences of Palestinians under Israeli occupation and genocide.
“The University of Sydney has repeatedly abused such complaints to put students through serious distress and risk, via lengthy and complex disciplinary processes, in attempts to punish on-campus support for Palestine and dissent to the University’s ties with Israel’s ongoing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.”
Speakers condemn “gutless” university
SAW activist Jeanette Monteiro, who chaired the rally, condemned the university’s allegations. “It is an outrage that Sydney University would consider a cartoon of a Palestinian child a threat when Israel has killed over 20,000 children in Gaza since October 7, 2023,” she said.
“Sydney University, taking their cue from Albanese, Minns, and Segal, are dangerously conflating all opposition to Israel with antisemitism. Anti-Zionist Jewish activists have repeatedly rejected this claim.”
SAW activist and Barkinji student Vieve Carnsaw defended the protest poster and the campaign for an academic boycott of Israeli institutions. “USyd is saying that our poster with blood splatter on Israeli university logos like the Hebrew University of Jerusalem is inciting violence against Israeli universities,” they said.
“The blood splatter represents the blood-soaked record these universities have in the genocide and occupation of Palestinian people. The Israeli universities we are protesting are not just civilian institutions, as Sydney University claims.”
“The Hebrew University of Jerusalem runs the Havatzalot program which trains members of the Israeli Military Intelligence Directorate. Academic boycotts were used against South African apartheid, we have to build them up again against Israeli apartheid.”
Ethan Floyd stated that when it comes to pro-Palestine activism on campus, the university has shown “they are gutless, they show they are afraid of mass student protests, and they show they… care more about their reputation than they do about students’ ability to protest… to express themselves freely on campus”.
“Students have always been on the right side of history, always on the front lines of the social movements, which have won so much over the last 100 years. Let’s remember, it was students who boarded the 1965 freedom rides through NSW. It was students who mobilised to end the Vietnam War, to pull Australia out of the US’s dirty war in Vietnam.
“It was students who… set up tents on the front lawns in 2024 and stayed there and refused to leave for nearly three months. That was a student initiative. That’s what the kind of legacy that we’re standing in as students who refuse to let genocide be accepted as normal.”
Journalist and activist Wendy Bacon spoke next, statingthat she is “appalled at the way the complaints process is being weaponised to intimidate students… One only has to read the letter to see how farcical it is, and if someone would have said to me 10 years ago that I would be standing here today, standing up for students who’d received a letter like that, I would have thought I was part of a satirical play.”
“This is deadly serious, and there’s something really disturbing going on in the Vice-Chancellor’s office that needs to be publicly investigated. I say that as a journalist who’s done a certain amount of investigation into it myself. I have written for Michael West Media on the appointment of the special advisor in the Vice-Chancellor’s office to advise on antisemitism. This is Michael Abrahams-Sprod, and I’d like to say that… he is not an appropriate person to be treated as a resident expert in the Vice-Chancellor’s office, and his own work shows that he is a threat to freedom of speech and academic freedom in the university.”
“His appointment was not even announced until… two months after he was actually in the Vice-Chancellor’s office, so no one even knew he was there, and he was already getting ready to take the courses that are training the people who will make the decisions, like the one that is behind the letter that was written… you only have to read that letter to see what distorted thinking really lies behind that.
“My own feeling is this ridiculous letter that has been sent is part of trying to satisfy Jillian Segal, the envoy for antisemitism… so the so-called report card on the university and its actions against antisemitism can be filled in satisfactorily. I think they’re going overboard to get a few runs on the board, and the students at the receiving end of this letter are just their collateral damage, just like the children in Gaza.
“I would like to call for the retraction of this letter, the immediate retraction, and I think there should be an independent inquiry into what is happening at the University of Sydney to trash a very long history of standing for academic freedom.”
NSW Greens member for Newtown Jenny Leong spoke at the rally, stating tactics such as the disciplinary complaint are used to “silence and intimidate us. We know that the Royal Commission into antisemitism that is happening right now is not being challenged for the things that are being put out there, that are so far from being antisemitic that it is laughable.”
“I know that this is just the tip of the iceberg. I know that we are not hearing about the level of complaints that are being waged against students and staff on this university campus. The reality is that some people will be so intimidated and fearful by these complaints that they will not want to speak out, they will not want to share the details, they won’t want us to highlight it and rally for them.
“We mustn’t be silent, we must keep showing up, we must keep speaking out, and as terrifying as it is, as so many in this crowd have experienced, to feel the heat and pressure that comes from the pro-Zionist, the pro-Israeli Defence Force, and indeed the right-wing conservatives.”
Rally moves outside Vice-Chancellor’s office
Outside the Michael Spence Building, where the Office of the Vice-Chancellor & President is located, Luna Choo, a USyd student and activist spoke: “We demand USyd management drop all charges on students right now and publicly apologise for failing the university community so profoundly with their anti-Palestinian and anti-refugee libel.”
Academic Matt Rochford, who works in the School of Languages and Cultures and is a member of the NTEU, also spoke: “Opposing the genocide is not antisemitic. The call to boycott Israeli institutions is not antisemitic. The Handala symbol is not antisemitic. An illustration of blood on the building of Israeli institutions is not antisemitic. The investigation into the members of Students Against War should be dropped immediately, and students apologised to.
“The chilling effect of the campus access policy on democracy and free speech at this university reflects a general trend where people wearing a keffiyeh can be stopped by police because they look suspicious,” said Matt, referring to NSW police apprehending and “humiliating” a pro-Palestine activist Ibrahim Bob Mouammarat Bunnings in Rose Bay. Despite no crime being committed and no arrest, Bob was told to leave the area by “scores of police”. Bob, who was wearing a keffiyeh, was at Bunnings to buy supplies for a work project.
Rochford continued that university campus security are “questioning union members who are handing out leaflets, intimidating students holding stalls and putting on meetings, asking for extra information, and delaying room bookings for our forums.”
Rochford said the NTEU USyd branch committee passed a motion to “call on university management to end the misconduct investigation against students for promoting the institutional academic boycott of Israel and displaying the Handala image.”
“University management must stop criminalising activism against the genocide and apologise to students immediately. The investigation into students for pro-Palestine activism must be dropped, as must be the attack on staff for displaying the flag of Palestine from office windows, and for putting up posters and using university email lists to promote union rallies.
“We must fight to cut the ties with Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Technion, and Tel Aviv University. Cut ties with weapons and defence companies, and prioritise education over profit, war, and imperialism.”
No disciplinary action taken by USyd after sustained pressure
The complaint made against the two students have since been resolved. This comes after the USyd NTEU branch passed the motion discussed by Rochford, calling on the university to end the disciplinary proceedings. The motion read: “We call on university management to end the misconduct investigation against students for promoting the institutional academic boycott of Israel and displaying the Handala image, a common symbol of Palestinian identity and resilience.
“The suggestion that opposition to institutions deeply involved in the oppression of Palestinians is antisemitic and may incite violence is an unacceptable slur. University management must stop criminalising activism against the genocide, and apologise to the students immediately.
“We note that the academic boycott, an explicitly non-violent tactic of resistance, is policy of the NTEU at Branch and national levels”.
A SAW social media post details how in its final decision, the university recognised that the call for a boycott of Israeli universities was “part of lawful BDS-style political protest” and “criticism of or protest against these institutions is not, in itself, antisemitic or a policy breach”.
The post also claims that the university stated that the Handala’s “meaning is contested and context dependent” and that “its use here does not breach university policy”. USyd, according to the social media post, now only demands that the image “incorporating blood splatter or similar violent imagery is not to be used again on University Lands.”
In a statement which can be read in its entirety here, a USyd spokesperson said that “recent protest activity and a petition had no impact on our decision”.
“We remain absolutely committed to freedom of speech and academic freedom, including the rights of students and staff to engage in lawful political expression and protest on difficult and contested issues. At the same time, those freedoms exist alongside the University’s obligations to foster a safe, respectful and inclusive environment for all members of the community”, the spokesperson said.
SRC President Grace Street told Honi: “Public pressure has successfully shown the ridiculous nature of these complaints by the University, but we still need them to apologise and stop this crackdown on pro-Palestine activism… it is wildly alarming that they entertained that claim and such complaints in the first place. The letter clearly says that the University is concerned by the poster – and currently has many other complaints along similar lines – which seems to assume wrongdoing and misconduct having occurred.
“It is a huge overreach to maintain that poster’s blood smears on institutions’ names could be interpreted as inciting violence, rather than the obvious meaning that those institutions – and therefore the University of Sydney as their partner – are complicit and have blood on their hands. This appears to be a wilful misinterpretation of the poster which provides no certainty at all that, if not for the petition and protest, that these students would have been found innocent and not threatened with disciplinary action, which could lead to expulsion.”
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Editors Note: The University of Sydney has asked Honi Soit to clarify that it does not “charge” students . Under the complaints process, matters may be referred as misconduct allegations , and that, as no formal finding was made in this case, it would be incorrect to say the students were found innocent.
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Sydney University investigates posters accused of promoting violence
May 14, 2026 by J-Wire Newsdesk
The University of Sydney has launched an investigation into anti-Israel posters circulated on campus that used blood-like imagery and a Palestinian cartoon symbol in material targeting Israeli universities.
The posters promoted a March 26 protest and featured Handala, a cartoon figure usually shown as a barefoot child with his back turned and hands clasped behind him. The image is widely used by pro-Palestinian activists as a symbol of Palestinian displacement and resistance, but Jewish groups have raised concerns about its use in material they say can carry hostile or extremist messaging.
The offensive poster (photo: The Daily Telegraph)
The posters also showed red markings over the logos of Israeli universities. According to the Daily Telegraph, the university wrote to two students believed to have been involved in producing the material, warning that it may have breached student conduct rules.
In the letter, the university said the posters targeted Israeli universities, which it described as civilian academic institutions rather than government bodies. It said portraying those institutions as complicit in apartheid could risk collective blame and potentially affect visiting students.
The university also raised concerns about the red slashes or smears across the university logos, saying they could reasonably be interpreted as blood or gun splatter and could be seen as implicitly endorsing or inciting violence.
The letter also referred to the use of Handala, saying the image was considered by some to be associated with violence against Israeli citizens or opposition to Jewish self-determination.
A separate university letter reportedly warned that the students involved could face disciplinary penalties, including expulsion.
The investigation comes as Jewish students and community groups raise fresh concerns about the climate at Sydney University. The Daily Telegraph reported that two other students were recently seen on Instagram distributing posters promoting a “Globalise the Intifada” forum.
The phrase has drawn strong criticism from Jewish students and communal organisations, who say references to an intifada cannot be separated from terror attacks against Israelis and Jews. The concern has sharpened since the Bondi Beach terror attack, which targeted a Jewish community event.
Australasian Union of Jewish Students advocacy and public relations manager Liat Granot said the combination of the Handala symbol, blood imagery and Israeli academic institutions was deeply troubling.
“Pairing the Handala symbol with blood imagery, specifically directed at Israeli universities and institutions, draws on one of the oldest antisemitic tropes in existence: blood libel accusations,” Granot said.
“Blood libel accusations have been used for centuries to incite violence against Jewish communities, and putting this imagery on a poster so soon after Bondi is far from political commentary.”
StandWithUs Australia executive director Michael Gencher said Jewish and Israeli students should not be forced to confront targeted hostility on campus.
“Once again, it beggars belief that Jewish and Israeli students at the University of Sydney are being forced to confront this sort of targeted hostility on campus,” Gencher said.
“It is welcome that the University of Sydney has launched an investigation, and it is important that the university has acknowledged the seriousness of the material. But concern and process are not enough. We now need to see clear, decisive action and real consequences.”
Gencher said students had the right to take part in peaceful political expression, but universities also had a duty to protect students from intimidation.
“Students have every right to engage in political expression and peaceful protest, but universities also have a responsibility to ensure that their campuses do not become platforms for intimidation, hostility, or the normalisation of language that targets Jewish and Israeli students,” he said.
A University of Sydney spokeswoman said the institution could not comment on individual student matters or ongoing processes but said it responded to complaints and worked to keep its campuses safe and welcoming.
“We take appropriate action if breaches of our policies or codes of conduct are identified,” she said.
“If anyone in our community feels unsafe or witnesses antisemitic, discriminatory or harassing behaviour of any sort, we have a support network in place so they can alert us and we can take action.”
The investigation follows a separate controversy involving Honi Soit, the university’s student newspaper, after an article was published calling for support for listed terrorist organisations and using intifada rhetoric. The article was later removed, and the university said it would strengthen oversight and accountability at the publication.
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Students protest USyd repression of Palestine activism
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May 20, 2026, Issue 1454, News
About 50 students and staff at the University of Sydney (USyd) gathered outside Fisher Library on May 20 to protest university management’s repression of those showing solidarity with Palestine.
Two members of Students Against War received a disciplinary letter on May 5 because a poster calling on the university to end exchange programs with Israeli universities included the Handala symbol. Management said the symbol was antisemitic because some consider it “to be associated with violence against Israeli citizens or a symbol against Jewish self-determination”.
See also
Palestine campus activists, academics stand up to new McCarthyism
Uni of Sydney cracks down on campus activism after Palestine student encampment
The symbol depicts a 10-year-old Palestinian child with his back turned. It was created by Palestinian artist Naji Al-Ali and is widely seen as a symbol of the Palestinian people’s struggle for freedom and self-determination.
Ethan Floyd, a USyd student, Wiradjuri, Ngiyampaa and Waiwan man and Students for Palestine activist, addressed the protest.
He only recently returned from the Global Sumud Flotilla to Gaza, where he was illegally kidnapped by the Israel Defense Forces in international waters. He spoke about management’s other attempts to silence Palestinian and First Nations voices on campus.
Investigative journalist Wendy Bacon spoke about the history and importance of boycotts. She criticised USyd’s recent appointment of a pro-Israel academic as its “special advisor” on antisemitism.
Luna Choo, USyd student and Pride in Protest activist, described her experience of being threatened with expulsion and deportation for Palestine activism on campus.
Matte Rochford, from the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU), outlined how staff are resisting management’s attempts to silence their support for Palestine. Greens MP for Newtown Jenny Leong also spoke.
NTEU members at USyd passed a motion on May 21 calling on management to end the misconduct investigation. The motion, supported by almost all staff present, said management “must stop criminalising activism against the genocide, and should apologise to the students immediately”.
More than 700 students have signed a petition calling on management to drop the investigation and charges against students.
[Chiara Reeves is a student at the University of Sydney and member of Socialist Alliance.]
israel-academia-monitor.com 