Confucius say freedom of speech at Sydney University is very interesting but stupid

Going too far? Sian Powell, The Australian, December 5:

Sydney University will move to fire (Tim Anderson) after he was accused of using images of a cropped swastika (superimposed on an Israeli flag) in his teaching materials … (An) unabashed anti-Western activist, Dr Anderson … defended a colleague … wearing a “Death to Israel” badge … (and defends) Syria’s leader Bashar al-Assad (and North Korea).

Blow to freedom. Jordan Baker, Sydney Morning Herald, December 7:

Sydney University academics have criticised the suspension of … (Anderson) saying it was a body blow to academic freedom.

Free to say this. Michael Koziol, Sydney Morning Herald, April 17, 2017:

(Sydney) University … is standing by … Tim Anderson, who has dismissed the sarin gas attack in … (Syria) as a “hoax” and called Syria’s six-year civil war a “fiction” perpetrated by the US “to destroy an independent nation”.

Free in Syria? Freedom House.org:

Political rights and civil liberties in Syria are severely compromised by one of the world’s most repressive regimes and by other belligerent forces in an ongoing civil war. The regime … harshly suppresses freedoms of speech and assembly. Corruption, ­enforced disappearances, military trials and torture are rampant in government-controlled areas, while residents (elsewhere) … are subject to … intense … combat, sieges and interruptions of humanitarian aid.

Backlash. Pallavi Singhal, Sydney Morning Herald, October 2:

Staff at the University of Sydney are considering a boycott of the Ramsay Centre’s Western civilisation degree … The degree … (was) rejected by Australian National University … with its vice-chancellor saying the Ramsay Centre wanted to … restrict “academic freedom” … The university … (would have) full control over the curriculum, staffing and teaching for the degree … Abbey (Jiaqi) Shi, an international student from China … (said the course would “cause a backlash”).

Already on Sydney University:

The Confucius Institute provides Chinese language and … community-outreach cultural events …

Geoff Wade, Parliament of Australia, aph.gov.au, November 24, 2014:

A Politburo member says the (Confucius) Institutes are “an important part of China’s overseas propaganda set-up” … Propaganda chief Liu Qibao visits CIs globally. … The vice-chair of the University of Queensland’s CI is … the head of the CPC Committee (at) Tianjin University. … The CPC has ultimate control over CI teaching content … staff, budgetary investment, … structure and activities.

Freedom of speech at Aunty? Dana McCauley, The Australian, June 8:

A Chinese-Canadian human-rights advocate (Anastasia Lin) has spoken out after the ABC cancelled her live television interview, citing concerns about her “affiliations” … “I’ve never had a Western journalist say that to me: that’s a Chinese propaganda term,” she said … Ms Lin (is speaking about China’s live organ trade and said) China had used the Confucius Institutes’ education programs to extend its soft power … as detailed in the Canadian documentary In the Name of Confucius.

Richard Ferguson, The Australian, November 30:

The screening of … (In the Name of Confucius at Victoria University) was cancelled shortly after Chinese diplomats sought “feedback” on the public event …(the film says) CI are used to spread CCP influence.