Security crackdown at University of Sydney to stamp out anti-Semitism
The new chancellor of Australia’s oldest university has admitted the University of Sydney ‘must do more’ to protect Jewish students from anti-Semitism.
The new chancellor of Australia’s oldest university has admitted the University of Sydney “must do more’’ to protect Jewish students from anti-Semitism.
The university has issued new rules for protests in a bid to stamp out anti-Semitic behaviour and now requires all protesters to give 72 hours’ notice of rallies and seek permission to use megaphones.
Its new chancellor, business leader David Thodey, said his university “must do more’’ to stamp out anti-Semitism and racism on campus.
“We have seen the unacceptable rise of anti-Semitism on our campuses and in our society,’’ he said in his first official speech at the university on Monday night.
“I want to be very clear: we do not – and we will not – condone any form of racism, threats to safety, hate speech, intimidation, threatening speech, bullying or unlawful harassment.
“We unequivocally stand for a safe and inclusive university, and respect people of all backgrounds and beliefs.’’
Mr Thodey’s comments appeared to undermine his embattled vice-chancellor Mark Scott, who is resisting calls to resign after publicly apologising for failing to protect Jewish students from anti-Semitism on campus.
Professor Scott told a Senate committee last month that testimonials by Jewish staff were “heartbreaking and unacceptable, and for that I am sorry”.
When pressed by opposition education spokeswoman Sarah Henderson on whether this amounted to a failure of leadership, Professor Scott said: “Yes, I have failed them and the university has failed them.”
The Australasian Union of Jewish Students told the Senate hearing that the University of Sydney was “probably one of the worst places to be a Jewish student right now”.
In his speech, Mr Thodey said he and the university senate were fully committed to actively working with Professor Scott “to ensure that our university environment is free from any form of discrimination’’.
“In these challenging times, it is crucial to provide a safe, welcoming, and vibrant campus for all,’’ he said.
“To ensure we listen to each other carefully and disagree well.
“While we have already taken some action, we must – and we will – do more.
“This in no way diminishes our commitment to academic freedom or freedom of expression … and we recognise getting this balance right is a collective challenge.’’
A University of Sydney spokeswoman said the university had increased security and updated its campus access policies.
“Protesters are now required to give 72 hours’ notice of a protest on campus and permission must be sought for the use of megaphones,’’ she said.
“This is to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our community while upholding rights to academic freedom, freedom of speech and freedom of assembly.’’
The university is also reviewing its rules for advertising or flying flags on campus, as well as its policies for use of information technology and internal staff communications.
“We have enhanced the security presence and monitoring on campus, including the installation of four CCTV cameras at our ‘graffiti tunnel’,’’ the spokeswoman said. “We are also working (with) the City of Sydney on the removal of posters from public spaces that border the campus, such as bus stops.’’
The university will develop educational programs “specifically addressing anti-Semitism’’ to be shared with students during the orientation period of each semester.
“We have established a working group to assess our complaints process and map short- and long-term actions to better address anti-Semitism, as well as other forms of discrimination,’’ the spokeswoman said.
“We are pursuing a civic campus initiative through our Sydney Policy Lab to develop the university as a centre for rigorous debate and productive disagreement.’’
Mr Thodey is a former chairman of the CSIRO, and a former chief executive of Telstra and IBM Australia and New Zealand.
He now chairs global hospital group Ramsay Health Care as well as global cloud-based accounting solutions firm Xero.
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