University of Melbourne pro-Palestine protesters endorse ‘Israel should not exist’ social media post

There are calls for action after Melbourne University’s pro-Palestine group shared a controversial social media post saying “Israel cannot, will not, and should not exist”.

The University of Melbourne’s pro-Palestine group has come under fire for endorsing calls for the destruction of Israel. Picture: David Crosling

The University of Melbourne’s pro-Palestine group who were responsible for occupying a campus building for more than a week has come under fire after endorsing a social media post calling for the destruction of Israel.

The UniMelb for Palestine Instagram page re-shared a post on Monday morning saying: “calls need to emphasise that Israel cannot, will not, and should not exist”.

The original post was by Palestinian-American blogger Mariam Barghouti, who regularly shares content relating to the war in Gaza.

The Herald Sun can reveal a complaint has been made about the Instagram post to the University of Melbourne’s chancellor Jane Hansen.

The complaint, by a concerned Jewish community member, said: “As you are aware the only way Israel can cease to exist, is through the murdered and displacement of nine million people.”

“You will agree, that calls for the wholesale murder of nine million people, is hate speech,” the letter said.

“It has no place in our society. I trust you will take immediate action.”

University of Melbourne pro-Palestine protesters have called for the destruction of Israel on social media.

A University of Melbourne spokesman said the Unimelb for Palestine social media account was not owned, affiliated or an endorsed university social media account.

“The university deplores and actively stands against all forms of racism, including anti-Semitism and Islamophobia as outlined in our anti-racism commitment,” he said

“Individuals who do not comply with our codes of conduct are subject to consequences. The university is in direct communication with individuals as required on matters of concern.”

Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin said: “It may come as a shock to these students but Israel exists, has existed in its modern form for 76 years, and will continue to exist on the same lands the Jewish people called home more than 3000 years ago.”

“It is a shining example of decolonisation and an exiled people returning to their ancestral lands. The ignorance and prejudice of these students prevents them from seeing that,” he said.

“The days when the Jewish people plead for their rights and acceptance are over.

“These students are a stain on our education system but they should at least be commended for dropping any pretence to seeking peace and now openly aligning with the genocidal aims of Hamas.

“This makes it much easier for the university to pursue disciplinary action against them.”

Zionism Victoria executive director Zeddy Lawrence said: “Tragically, we have entered an age where people in positions of leadership feel they can be judged simply by their social media posts, rather than their deeds.”

“But as we’ve learnt to our considerable cost, it’s not enough to simply call out anti-Semitism on X or Instagram, you have to take action,” he said.

“The repeated failure to do just that has fostered an environment where the CBD has become a no-go zone for the Jewish community at weekend, our schools are being daubed with death threats, and Victorian universities have turned into havens of hate and harassment.”

Last week, Pro-Palestine protesters ended their occupation of the university’s Arts West Building, after camping inside it for the past 10 days.

The protesters announced on Wednesday they were ending their encampment after the university University said it would disclose ties to weapons makers.

Photos posted to Reddit on Monday also show rubbish strewn across the university’s South Lawn, where the outdoor encampment was held for several weeks.