‘We have no power to ban extremist Muslim group’: Uni boss

Australian universities have no powers to ban extremist Muslim group Hizb-ut Tahrir from their campus, with a prominent Sydney university boss calling on parliament to declare the group a terrorist organisation if they want them barred.

Australian universities have no powers to ban extremist Muslim group Hizb-ut Tahrir from their campus, with a prominent Sydney university boss calling on parliament to declare the group a terrorist organisation if they want them barred from campuses.

Sydney University vice chancellor Mark Scott told NSW Budget Estimates that it was matter for parliament to declare Hizb-ut Tahrir an official terrorist organisation if they were concerned about extremism infiltrating university campuses.

“Of course I have seen reports of Hizb-ut Tahrir’s presence on Australian campuses.

I put the question to police and authorities … but what I took from that meeting was again the assurance that if we had things we needed to be concerned about extremist violence … then they would let us know,” Mr Scott said.

“Hizb-ut Tahrir is a question perhaps for parliament in some respects. If this was a declared terrorist organisation that was illegal. If the parliament had declared Hizb Ut Tahrir an illegal organisation then of course they would be banned from campus, they are not.

“Therefore there is no (limitation) as I understand it on how that group can operate in protests, in rallies, in encampments, in other such activities anywhere around the city or state … or around the country. If they were on campus there was no mechanism for us to ban them.”

Sydney University Vice Chancellor and president Professor Mark Scott answers a question during NSW Senate Estimates on Wednesday. Picture: NewsWire

The swipe at the federal government comes after the federal government did not label the group — who have praised Hamas for their October 7 attack on Israel — a terrorist organisation.

The Opposition has previously called for them to be listed as a terror group.

Of the 600 complaints made at Australian universities relating to encampments — more than half were about Sydney University.

USYD Deputy Vice Chancellor Professor Annamarie Jagose said the words “intifada” were also chanted at the rallies at Sydney university.

Asked if the words “globalise the intifada” were anti-semitic, Mr Scott said Jewish staff and students had expressed concerns about the phrase along with the slogan “from the river to the sea”.

Mr Scott said he had called on protestors not to use these phrases if they were causing distress before again placing blame on the federal government.

“It’s significant for members of parliament to reflect on this, I cannot find a jurisdiction or country that has banned the use of those phrases,” he said.

Parliament also heard that students were offered security escorts if they felt unsafe walking past the encampments.