Police should issue a 24-hour ultimatum for protesters on all campuses to leave

It is outrageous that those in charge at our universities have been so slow to react to student bullies, who have held campuses to ransom.

Victorian university bosses must stop pandering to selfish student protesters and take control of their campuses.

Our campuses.

Many of us marched peacefully on the same soil in the 1980s’ Take Back the Night rallies. Now it’s time for uni chiefs to Take Back the Campus.

As a taxpayer and parent of two children attending universities in this state, I think it’s outrageous that those in charge have been so slow to act decisively.

It’s time for uni chiefs to Take Back the Campus. Picture: Mark Stewart

Weeks after the first banner was unfurled, it’s not enough for uni heads to be still pleading pathetically for protests to stop.

Hypocritical and arrogant, these student and non-student protesters have blithely spent weeks trampling on the rights of others to draw attention to themselves.

Given access to the university, they quickly overstepped the bounds of peaceful protest and entered lectures, blocked facilities and terrorised Jewish students. As I write, students at the University of Melbourne continue to defy orders, occupying a building that’s supposed to house classes for 6000 other students.

More than 15,000 students have been affected across 474 classes at Melbourne alone.

Student and non-student protesters have blithely spent weeks trampling on the rights of others to draw attention to themselves. Picture: Mark Stewart

It’s a great conceit for students who are illegally occupying the Arts West building to sit there working on their own laptops when they have stopped so many others from studying.

Instead of calling the police, Melbourne Uni staff merely sticky-taped a new “direction to remove property” on the walls of the building on Monday.

What did the students do in response? Nothing. They don’t care about photocopied signs.

It’s the same at La Trobe University, where students countered polite requests to leave with more rallies.

More than 15,000 students have been affected across 474 classes at Melbourne alone. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

These student bullies, who have held campuses to ransom for weeks, deserve to be forcibly removed by police.

While students paying thousands in HECS are denied access, protesters busily boost their social media followings.

These comments are not a broader reflection on the political turmoil in Gaza as I have sympathy with the innocent victims on both sides.

However, the time for empty threats from university leaders has passed.

Police should issue a 24-hour ultimatum for protesters on all campuses to leave.

Then they should bring an end to this farce.