Jewish community call for University of Sydney to take action amid pro-Palestine encampment
The Jewish community wants a Sydney university to take action to ensure students and staff feel safe amid a pro-Palestinian protest where supporters remain camped on the campus lawns.
NSW
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The Jewish community has called for the University of Sydney to take action to ensure students and staff feel safe on campus after pro-Palestinian protesters encamped on the lawns of the university.
More than 100 people gathered at the University of Sydney in a peaceful protest on Friday, urging campus management to take decisive action to foster a safe and inclusive learning environment for everyone.
University staff security formed a line on each side of the protests on campus, blocking demonstrators from potentially clashing.
The “March for a Safe Campus” protest was initiated to counter the so-called “Gaza solidarity camp” that has taken over the University of Sydney quadrangle in recent weeks, where protesters sleep overnight fuelled by food donations pouring in from staff, student groups, and the wider community.
Zoe Topper, 18, feels unsafe attending classes on campus, but is forced to push through the anti-Semitism directed at her. “I just want peace on campus. I don’t want to be scared to go to class,” Ms Toppee said.
“It’s constant: people chanting, sometimes they would walk into your lectures — they just try to infiltrate everything about the uni and it’s not really fair for everyone on campus,” she said.
Speaker Michael Gancher called out the university for not doing anything to ensure students do not feel afraid to simply “exist” on campus.
“It’s imperative that we distinguish between constructive discourse and destructive hate,” Mr Gancher said.
“It’s not merely about ensuring safety now and after the fact, it’s about proactively cultivating an environment, where everyone can thrive without fear,” he said.
“We need resilience, we need resistance, pride and above all we need action.”
Lucy Klein, 18, said the encampment is “not okay” as it makes Jewish students all around the world feel unsafe thinking it might happen to them.
“If I were to come to university and be blocked off from the education that I rightfully deserve as an Australian, its absolutely not on and it’s not Australian,” Ms Klein said.
“It’s a very complex issue that there’s a lot of passion on both sides, but I think it’s very important for all people to come together to agree that peace is absolutely necessary,” she said.
In a post shared to social media, students participating in the pro-Palestinian encampment protest said they “will not be intimidated by Zionists on campus.”
Students previously told The Daily Telegraph they intend on camping out on the site until the university takes action and ends financial ties with Israel, amid the conflict in Gaza.
‘NOT WHAT AUSTRALIA IS ABOUT’
A Palestinian psychology student, who wished to remain anonymous, said the encampment is not what Palestinians are about.
“We’re all about peace and these non-Palestinians, who claim to be Pro-Palestinian are just chanting cause of violence and that’s not what we stand for and that’s not what Australia is about,” he said.
“It’s disgusting how many people are brainwashed down the other side of the campus chanting for hate.”
As a non-Jew he said he feels intimidated attending the campus every day, urging for immediate action to be taken.
“The uni has acknowledged it, but they haven’t done anything about it — it’s time to put their money where their mouth is and get these people off campus.”
Organiser Hagit Ashual said the rally aimed at getting universities to do more for students’ safety and take measures against hate speech.
“It’s not just the Jewish that are offended by this, I think it’s the whole Australian community as a whole that doesn’t support that kind of vandalism of our land, so it really needs to be addressed, we need to clear everything,” Ms Ashual said.
“I have students who (were) spat on, I have students who are afraid to wear their Star of David here in public at the university, I have students that are targeted and staff and it’s just not what we want to see in our education system,” she said.
University student Rebecca Morris, 21, said interfaith dialogue is especially important during times like this.
“It’s about interfaith dialogue because a lot of misinformation is spread and I think that’s the root of why there’s so much hate and negativity towards each side, because each person is getting fed a different narrative,” Ms Morris said.
“As important as it is today to make sure everyone was safe and that we were separated, I think both sides need to be able to speak together and be able to foster healthy discussion,” she said.
University student Bella Schlessinger, 20, said both sides should be aiming to create safe spaces for education and discussion, calling it the road to peace.
“If we’re constantly talking to each other and to our own perspective, then we’re not going to get anywhere and this conflict is only going to get worse,” she said.
“There should be no animosity, no hatred towards each other – we don’t have any hate, we just have love and kindness from each other, no one wants war, no one wants innocent people being killed,” she said.
“We came here because we want to come together as a community and come from all different religions — Christian, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, we even had some people from the Aboriginal community come and join us in support and solidarity.”
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