More warnings but no action against Melbourne Uni’s Gaza sit-in

Jewish students and community leaders have called on the University of Melbourne to end the occupation of a campus building by pro-Palestinian protesters that has prompted the cancellation of classes for three consecutive days.

The university’s increasingly tough rhetoric against people camped in the foyer of the Arts West building was not matched by any meaningful action at the Parkville campus, with police saying they still require a formal complaint of trespass be made before they could intervene to remove protesters.

Protesting students rally outside the Arts West building at University of Melbourne on Friday afternoon.Credit: Joe Armao

Instead, the academic week ended in uneasy stalemate, with a meeting between protest leaders and the university failing to secure an agreement to end the occupation or meet any of the protest demands to sever research agreements with global companies, including weapons manufacturers linked to Israel.

It came as La Trobe University followed Deakin University and the University of Queensland in issuing a formal directive to students to end their encampments.

The encampment at Monash University was dismantled on Friday, however the university and students disagreed over who approved it. Protesters vowed to return to the Clayton campus next week for a rally.

University of Melbourne protest leader Dana Alshaer warned that if police moved in to arrest students at Parkville, it would “replicate the scenes of police brutality” witnessed at Columbia University and other US colleges.

University of Melbourne protest leader Dana Alshaer addresses the media outside the Arts West building on Friday afternoon.Credit: Joe Armao

“We have received confirmation from the university that they have refused fully and explicitly to divest and cut ties with all weapon manufacturers,” Alshaer said after the meeting with university leaders.

Jewish student union leader Noah Loven said university administrators, through their reticence to confront the pro-Palestine movement, had allowed a handful of protesters to hold the campus to ransom.

“It is a completely untenable situation and the university must act,” he said.

Australian Zionist Federation chief executive Jeremy Leibler, said it was difficult to reconcile the university’s words and inaction.

“It is not about the law, it is about the university showing leadership and enforcing their existing policies,” he said. “It is difficult to understand why it is taking so long.”

University of Melbourne acting provost Pip Nicholson on Friday said the occupation of the Arts West building presented “an unacceptable risk to the safety, security and important work of our entire community” and was intimidating staff and students.

This followed comments from deputy vice chancellor Michael Wesley, who on Thursday told this masthead that protesters had “crossed a line” by occupying the building.

Wesley said police had been authorised to come on campus and foreshadowed a “very substantial operation” to end both the occupation and encampment if protesters refused to leave.

“We want to make sure we have the legal basis to act on this occupation,” he told this masthead. “We also want to make sure we have a plan in place that enables us to end this occupation in ways that protect the safety of our students and staff.”

Despite the university signalling its willingness to evict protesters, particularly those not enrolled as students, Victoria Police said on Friday it had not received any complaints of trespass – a legal requirement for it to forcibly remove the protesters from campus.

Meanwhile, student protesters have received broad support from the National Tertiary Education Union and academics and staff employed at Australian universities.

Nearly 200 University of Melbourne staff are signatories to an open letter – published by Overland – describing the student protests as “liberation camps” and urging university leaders to engage with their demands.

“We reject the characterisation of these peaceful and urgent student-led protests and encampments by sections of the popular media and politicians as antisemitic,” the letter said.

The University of Melbourne has posted notices around campus warning off protesters who aren’t staff or enrolled students and warning that police could attend campus at any time to restore order.

The university’s latest steps had no discernible impact on the protesters, who maintained their presence in the Arts West building without incident on Friday.

Victorian Liberal Party deputy leader David Southwick, the most senior Jewish member of the state parliament, attended the university to meet with Jewish students and questioned why police hadn’t already been called in.

Deputy Opposition Leader David Southwick said police should move the protesters on.Credit: Justin McManus

“How long are we going to let this be where students are actually having classes cancelled? Are we going to turn around and say the campus is no-longer open?” he said. “If students don’t feel safe on campus, then I think the police do need to step in.”

The protesters insist their action is peaceful and not disruptive and that classes could have continued in the Arts West building despite the sit-in.

“We haven’t blocked any doors, security, cleaning staff members, students, they’re all allowed in the building,” third-year Arts student Mercedes Scott said.

When this masthead visited the Arts West building on Friday, a few dozen students were scattered throughout the multi-level building, mostly studying quietly. A banner stretching over four stories has renamed the building Mahmoud’s Hall, in honour of Palestinian student Mahmoud Alnaouq, who protesters say intended to study at Melbourne University on a scholarship this year but was killed in Gaza along with his family at the start of the war.

Protesters have renamed the Arts West building Mahmoud’s Hall.Credit: Justin McManus

More than 35,000 people have died in Gaza since the latest war began in October last year, according to Hamas officials. The militant group attacked Israel on October 7, killing 1200 people and abducting 252 others. Israeli officials say about 130 people remain in captivity in Gaza.

The student demands, posted on the windows of the building, are for the university to take “tangible steps” towards ending its research agreements with companies linked to Israel and disclosing the full details of those agreements. Those companies listed by the protesters are defence contractors Lockheed Martin and BAE Systems, aviation manufacturer Boeing and global technology giants IBM and Amazon.

Wesley said the demands, if met, would undermine the university’s commitment to academic freedom and jeopardise important work being done by its researchers and PhD students.

Alshaer said the university delivered the same message to protest leaders.

“They have made it clear that Australia’s national defence interests are the interests of the university, not the human rights of people in Gaza, in Palestine.”

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