Sea of empty tents: Pro-Palestine protesters quit Sydney Uni site
Despite vowing to stand their ground in defiance of Sydney University’s orders, protesters have largely abandoned their encampment four days after being given an ultimatum to quit.
NSW
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The once-bustling pro-Palestine encampment at Sydney University stood almost completely deserted on Tuesday morning.
Despite organisers vowing not to vacate the area following the university’s demands, the site is now a picture of desolation.
“We are aware of comments by other student groups suggesting that the encampment has ended,” Stand4PalestineAus said on Instagram.
“This is not the case and Sydney University Muslim Students Association will continue the encampment and negotiations with the university.”
It followed Monday, when a notice from the Inclosed Lands Protection Act was placed on signage overlooking the lawn which urged the demonstrators to vacate the area.
“The Campus and the lawns surrounding the Quadrangle are each inclosed lands under the Inclosed Lands Protection Act 1901 (NSW),” it read.
“You will be committing an offence under the Inclosed Lands Protection Act 1901 (NSW) if you are asked to leave the campus and you refuse to do so.”
By 7am Tuesday, only a handful of protesters remain amid a sea of abandoned tents and camping gear
Of the about 30 tents on the lawn, just three protesters were present. All of whom declined to comment.
Workers were seen dismantling the encampment with several empty tents and gear being disposed of in an empty truck. Security could be seen clearing the patch immediately in front of the quad of tents left unattended, citing the upcoming open day and poor lawn quality as primary reasons.
A stark contrast from Monday night, when protesters vocally declared they would remain, despite the university’s order..
On Monday afternoon, a hastily convened pro-Palestine protest was underway at the University of Sydney after a coalition of Muslim clubs broke away from student council-aligned activists, with a controversial group alleged to have extremist links at the helm.
Stand4PalestineAus issued the rallying cry for an ‘Eid March’ at the Sydney Uni encampment, which is in the process of being dismantled.
“We are not afraid of your schemes, and the Muslims will not be bullied by shoddy media segments and cowardly press releases,” organisers wrote.
From 6pm approximately 40 protesters took to the quadrangle gardens in response to university’s demands to vacate the tent encampment.
While the encampment showed clear signs of its ranks thinning the remaining protesters seemed adamant on staying put, leading call-and-response chants of “Will we stay? YES, will we stay … YES” and near constant cries of “Alhamdulillah” (praise be to God).
The university has erected signalling devices warning protesters they could be charged with trespassing if they don’t move on, and encouraging quiet while the exams are on.
A Daily Telegraph reporter was told he was not welcome and asked to leave by protesters.
The Stand4Palestine group is alleged to have ties to hard-line extremist organisation Hizb ut-Tahrir Australia.
The rally heard speeches from two Sheiks and organisers were heard criticising protesters who had packed up and left the camp peacefully for their lack of dedication to the cause, labelling them ‘fake’.
Tensions also seem strained between security staff and the protesters. A guard told one group not to play cricket so close to the building and the protesters playing had a brief argument with them before moving elsewhere.
‘TERRIBLE MISTAKE’: JEWISH LEADERS BLAST UNI BOSS
The Monday night protest comes after spokespeople for the University of Sydney Gaza protest confirmed they would close down their encampment after a two-month siege on the uni’s lawns, amid revelations they’d been hosting Islamic extremists in their midst.
The Students for Palestine group said the decision to end the protest came after university management took a “consistently hostile approach” approach to the encampment.
Last Friday, the university told encampment representatives to vacate their encampment and authorised security to begin removing tents. Organisers have now relented, instructing protesters to retrieve their belongings “over the course of this week”.
“For weeks the camp has been issued cease and desist letters, two students have been suspended, security has removed tents and prevented the Palestine Action Group protest from entering university grounds on Sunday,” a statement co-signed by the university’s Student Representative Council and Students Against War read.
However Jewish leaders say the University of Sydney has not done nearly enough to deter the protesters, particularly after it was revealed over the weekend that Muslim extremist group Hizb ut-Tahrir had infiltrated the university encampment.
In a letter sent to Vice-Chancellor Mark Scott, the Zionist Federation of Australia (ZFA) and Australasian Union of Jewish Students (AUJS) accused the VC of negotiating with extremists, threatening the safety of all students.
ZFA president Jeremy Leibler and AUJS head Noah Loven said the presence of Hizb ut-Tahrir on campus was “a direct threat to the safety” of all students at the university, noting that in 2014 Mr Scott’s predecessor Michael Spence banned Hizb ut-Tahrir spokesman Uthman Badar from the campus.
“Under your leadership, they have set up camp,” the letter then says.
“Not only that, but you have also negotiated with them. You promised to an encampment backed by a proscribed terrorist organisation in the United Kingdom that you would review the university’s investment mandate, and invite its representatives to review your research partnerships.
“This was a terrible mistake.”
A spokeswoman for the University of Sydney said police had assured university management they would be informed of any “extremist, violent or radicalised behaviour” related to the camp and “no concerns have been raised … by police or other government intelligence agencies at any time since the distressing events of 7 October”.
The spokeswoman also said Uthman Badar was never banned, but his appearance in 2014 was postponed “following a risk assessment”.
“The timing coincided with the anniversary of the September 11 attacks, and the venue had known access issues,” she said.
“In 2017, he took part in another debate hosted by the Sydney University Muslim Students Association.”
The weeks-long protest has also torn up the grass on the iconic Quadrangle lawns, with pictures from the site on Monday showing patches of bare earth and yellowed grass where tents were previously pitched.
The destruction was cited by Mr Scott as a key reason the campers were given their marching orders, ahead of the university’s ‘Welcome Fest’ student orientation event to be held early next year.
“The lawns have become damaged – in some places, quite badly – by use for which they are not intended. Our campus grounds team has advised that remediating this damage will take some time,” the Vice-Chancellor wrote in an all-staff email.
Thought the camp may be packing up, protesters warned their “campaign for boycott, divestment and sanctions is only just beginning”, foreshadowing future protests throughout the semester break.
In a letter to staff and students on Monday, Mr Scott confirmed management has sought advice from authorities on the allegations of Hizb ut-Tahrir’s involvement in the protest.
“You may be aware that on Sunday, concerning allegations regarding external influences on the protest encampment were raised in the media,” he wrote.
“I assure you the University is treating these allegations seriously and we are seeking advice from authorities.”
The Vice-Chancellor has faced weeks of criticism from both sides after failing to meet protesters’ demands to immediately cut ties with Israeli companies and universities, while kowtowing to their call to disclose investments in the security and defence industries.
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