Australia’s oldest and most prestigious universities, the Group of Eight (Go8), have signed a set of principles to condemn racism and hate speech but which enshrine the right of protesters to peacefully assemble to express their free speech.

The Australian Financial Review can reveal the Go8 universities – the University of Melbourne, the Australian National University, the University of Sydney, the University of Queensland, the University of Western Australia, the University of Adelaide, Monash University and UNSW Sydney – have taken the unprecedented step to agree on five key principles in response to demonstrations at university campuses.