About 800 University of Sydney students vote to support ‘one Palestinian state’

The University has sought police advice on the legality of material used to promote the event, which included pamphlets featuring the Hamas red triangle symbol.

Students overflowed into four lecture theatres at the University of Sydney student general meeting.

Almost 800 Sydney University students have voted for their student body to support “one Palestinian state” and affirmed “the right of Palestinians to armed resistance” at a rare student general meeting, as the uni seeks police advice on the legality of material used to promote the event.

Students overflowed into four lecture theatres on Wednesday night, voting against an amendment to “condemn Hamas” almost unanimously.

The pro-Palestine Student Representative Council will now “endorse the call for a single, secular democratic state across all of historic Palestine and affirms the right of Palestinians to armed resistance as an occupied people under international law”, after the motion by activist group Students Against War passed at the meeting with only a few votes against it.

Ahead of the SGM, SAW circulated pamphlets on campus with the Hamas triangle symbol on it, and their motion defended the views of a student expelled by Australian National University for saying Hamas deserved “unconditional support”.

Material circulated by Students Against War ahead of the SGM.

Following the meeting, the University said it does “not tolerate any pro-terrorist statements or commentary, including support for Hamas - and any demonstration of support will result in disciplinary action and other possible legal consequences.”

“The University is investigating reports of inappropriate conduct at the meeting, and has sought police advice on the legality of certain material used to promote the event,” a spokesperson said.

The motion by SAW said to “win” the campaign for Palestine at Sydney University, student activists “must commit themselves to building a mass, militant student movement on campus” that “affirms the right of Palestinians to armed resistance, and backs the call for a single, democratic, secular state from the river to the sea”.

After hearing from two affirmative speakers, students elected to go to the vote without further debate due to a lack of time.

A separate motion by pro-Palestine encampment group Students for Palestine USYD repeated demands made throughout the student protests for the university to cut ties with Thales and weapons companies, and Israeli academic institutions, and divest from financial investment in the Jewish state.

An amendment raised to “condemn Hamas” was voted down.

The meeting was held on campus on Wednesday.

Only two speakers in opposition were given the stage.

“We have just witnessed is this room voting against an amendment condemning a registered terrorist organisation and one of the worst attacks on Jews since the Holocaust,” the first speaker, who did not identify himself, said.

In response, a Students Against War representative in the front rows spat towards the speaker.

A second negative speaker, who spoke from the front of the lecture theatre draped in an Israeli flag was called a “Zionist” and told to leave the stage.

Following the event, organisers led students in a march on vice-chancellor Mark Scott’s office, and could be heard chanting “We don’t want your two states, we want all of ‘48”.

Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-CEO Alex Ryvchin told The Australian “this travesty disgraces the university”.

“It raises serious questions about the failure of its administration to stop this open support for terrorism.”

“Jewish students and academics should not be subjected to motions from fellow students effectively supporting the destruction of their national home and calls for Palestinian terrorism which has always targeted both Israel and Jewish targets abroad,” he said.

Posters stuck around campus

to promote the student general meeting.

“The silence of the university leadership is beyond pathetic. It is negligent and a total abrogation of their duties to their staff and students. The fact that the vice-chancellor could not even issue a statement condemning these motions and reassuring the overwhelming majority of students who find this repugnant is astonishing.”

Wentworth MP Allegra Spender said the university administration needed to do more to provide leadership to their students.

“People in our community were horrified by last night’s student motion at Sydney University,” she said.

“Last night’s motion excuses the actions of Hamas and was passed without meaningful debate. No thoughtful person who considers the facts could support such a motion.”

“I urge the university administration to do more to create constructive and respectful conversations on campus. It is their responsibility to provide leadership to their students.”

A University of Sydney spokesperson said the student representative council did not represent majority of the student body.

“Less than one percent of our student population attended the SRC meeting yesterday - student representative and student-led groups are independent of the University and certainly don’t represent our institutional position nor do they represent the majority of our student body,” their spokesperson said.

“Their members are required to abide by our policies and codes of conduct and we don’t hesitate to take action if there has been a breach.”

The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) wrote to the SRC president again on Thursday “reminding them of their obligations”.