Young children led in anti-Israel chant at University of Sydney Gaza ‘solidarity camp’

A school holiday outing to the University of Sydney’s Gaza protest camp has come under fire after young children were filmed chanting anti-Israel slogans. The host, controversial academic Randa Abdel-Fattah has responded to the criticism.

A pro-Palestine academic who came under fire for leading young children in anti-Israel chants has defended the event as a “space of comfort (and) healing” amid growing calls for her taxpayer-funded research grant to be revoked.

In a statement posted to social media on Monday afternoon, outspoken Macquarie University author and researcher Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah described a kids’ excursion to the ‘Gaza solidarity camp’ at the University of Sydney as a “family-friendly” event, and said the primary school-aged children “chose” the slogans.

In videos of the event shared online, children were seen leading controversial call-and-response chants including “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”, “intifada, intifada”, and “Israel is a terrorist state”.

“We gave children a space to participate in craft, ball games, face-painting and embroidery. We offered them the megaphone to lead chants of their choosing, hoping to give them a sense of agency in a moment of distress,” Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah wrote.

“The ones who jumped at the opportunity had been to the weekly rallies for over 7 months.”

Macquarie University academic Randa Abdel-Fattah organised a pro-Palestine rally at University of Sydney leading a bunch of little kids in chanting for the “intifada” .

Posted to instagram on Saturday. Macquarie University academic Randa Abdel-Fattah organised a pro-Palestine rally at University of Sydney leading a bunch of little kids in chanting for the “intifada” .

The Palestinian-Egyptian Muslim academic also took aim at the Executive Council of Australian Jewry for criticising the event, describing the Jewish body’s comments as “racist” and “reprehensible”, and hitting back at calls to have her $800,000 Australian Research Council grant revoked.

“Zionists are truly panicking, clutching at every racist, Islamophobic, anti-Palestinian trope to pressure complicit pro-Zionist governments to impose crude, coercive repression,” she wrote.

Dr Abdel-Fattah has previously made headlines for her anti-Israel comments on social media, including hailing an activist group who disseminated information about Jewish creatives earlier this year as “heroes”, while appointed as a judge for a $30,000 government-sponsored multicultural award.

Around two dozen tents have been pitched by student activists at the University of Sydney, their encampment sparked by similar student-led demonstrations in the US.

The movement began over a week ago at Columbia University in New York, where more than 100 people were arrested. The at-times violent protests in the United States have since spread across the country prompting a major police response and causing Jewish students to say they feel unsafe on campus.

The protest was advertised on Instagram as an “all ages” event.

The copycat protests in Sydney have prompted outrage from the Jewish community, with Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-CEO Alex Ryvchin describing the ‘kids’ excursion’ as “a horrific spectacle”.

“The organisers are attempting to convince ... children that ... the Jewish state (is) their enemy,” he said.

“Sydney University must remove and ban those involved from its campus before its reputation suffers permanent damage.”

Dr Abdel-Fattah was contacted for comment.

A spokeswoman for the University of Sydney said the protest camp’s activities were being “carefully monitored” and confirmed one of their planned events had been blocked, however the university did not denounce the Families for Palestine-organised ‘excursion’.

“While we remain absolutely committed to freedom of speech and academic freedom, we have zero tolerance for any form of racism, threats to safety, hate speech, intimidation, threatening speech, bullying or unlawful harassment, including antisemitic or anti-Muslim language or behaviour,” the spokewoman said.

“We have taken disciplinary action against a number of staff and students for breaching our relevant policies and procedures – and also stopped an event that was at odds with our codes of conduct.”

Acting Vice-Chancellor Professor Annamarie Jagose previously wrote to students and staff declaring the university “will not hesitate to take firm and decisive disciplinary action” for breaches including disruption of lectures and classes, harassment and intimidation, property damage and preventing free movement around campus.

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