After widespread outrage, the University of Sydney has backed down on its threat to discipline two students over a poster for a Palestine protest used on campus.
This is a victory for the Palestine movement and all those speaking out against Israel’s genocide.
On 5 May university management sent the students a disciplinary letter about a Students Against War poster advertising a protest opposing exchange partnerships with Israeli universities.
Outrageously, this claimed it was “potentially antisemitic” to condemn apartheid, to call for the boycott of Israeli universities, and to display the “Handala” cartoon—a drawing of 10-year-old Palestinian refugee.
The students were subject to an investigation, with the potential for serious disciplinary action.
More than 800 supporters signed an open letter in two weeks, including prominent individuals like President of the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network Nasser Mashni, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Chris Hedges, Senator Fatima Payman, Greens MP for Newtown Jenny Leong, and several other politicians, union representatives and university staff. The Sydney Uni SRC and activist collectives also made a statement of support.
About 50 students, staff and supporters rallied on campus against the repression in the second last week of classes, hearing from investigative journalist Wendy Bacon and returned flotilla participant Ethan Floyd, as well as proudly displaying the Handala symbol outside the F23 Administration Building.
The Sydney Uni branch of the NTEU also passed a motion calling for management to drop the investigation.
On Wednesday, the university sent the students a letter which conceded that the call for a boycott of Israeli universities was “part of a lawful BDS style political protest” and said “criticism of or protest against these institutions is not, in itself, antisemitic or a policy breach”.
“It is extraordinary that the university decision says this is ‘consistent with the university’s prior position’,” Jeanette, an activist with Students Against War, said.
“This is an admission that the two students were subjected to a threatening, stressful and onerous disciplinary process based on USyd’s ‘concern’ which directly contradicted the university’s own ‘position’.
“This is a clear abuse of the university’s disciplinary process that discourages legitimate criticism of Israel and has a chilling effect on free speech. At minimum the university must now issue a public apology and drop any similar disciplinary cases against pro-Palestine students and staff.
“The university was also forced to say the Handala’s ‘meaning is contested and context dependent’ and that ‘its use here does not breach university policy’. The fact a cartoon of a 10-year-old Palestinian refugee was ever the subject of investigation is appalling.
“The University’s retreat is a major win for the Palestine movement and shows the ongoing, shameful attempt to exploit the Bondi attack to silence criticism of Israel can be pushed back.
“Sydney Uni has taken their cue from Albanese, Minns and Segal and have dangerously attempted to conflate opposition to Israel with antisemitism. The Royal Commission has been a farce that has been used to uncritically broadcast Zionist claims that support for Palestine is antisemitic.
“Chris Minns has tried desperately to silence criticism of Israel with his failed protest ban and plan to ban the phrase ‘Globalise the Intifada’.
“This win should give confidence to every Palestine supporter and every student and staff member who has been threatened by USYD management with repression over pro-Palestine activism.
“However, in its decision USyd now demands that ‘the image incorporating blood splatter or similar violent imagery is not to be used again on University Lands’. This limitation on student expression cannot be tolerated.
“USyd has exchange agreements with Israeli universities which help to train the IDF officers enforcing Israel’s bloody and brutal occupation in historic Palestine and develop weapons for genocide. This is the real crime, not a poster.
“USyd have increasingly been using the complaints system, and the strict confidentiality conditions associated with it, to attempt to silence any opposition to their complicity in genocide and apartheid.
“This win shows that when we collectively defy these attempts to intimidate us, we can win.”
By Students Against War activists at Sydney Uni
