Socialists retreat after University of Sydney eviction notice

Students at Sydney University’s anti-Israel encampment split over orders to leave, with the Trotskyists packing up and Islamic protesters staying put.

University of Sydney security personnel put up signs on Monday warning failure to follow directions to leave would be an offence. Picture: Jane Dempster

Hardline socialists and Muslim students at the University of Sydney’s anti-Israel encampment appear divided over orders to leave, with the Trotskyists packing up and Islamic protesters staying put.

The split emerged after a university order on Friday for protesters to vacate the site.

On Monday, one social media account affiliated with the Socialist Alternative faction said because of university pressure, “the camp is closing as of today”.

“Management at Sydney University was constantly hostile to our encampment,” a statement read. It was signed by Students for Palestine, Students Against War and the student representative council.

However, on Monday afternoon, protesters remained at the university’s quadrangle.

“Some people in the encampment have decamped,” organiser Ethan Floyd said. “There’ll be ­individuals and groups that will choose to remain.”

Elsewhere in the quadrangle, another group, identified as members of the university Muslim students society, showed no indication of leaving. They ­declined to comment.

People at the pro-Palestine encampment protest on Monday. Picture: Jane Dempster

University security guards placed signs warning protesters they would be committing an ­offence “if you are asked to leave … and you refuse to do so”.

The Australian has previously reported a fissure between socialists and Muslim students in the recent wave of pro-Palestine campus protests.

The order to leave came after the students ­rejected the university’s latest proposal. The first proposal – which the protesters did not agree to – ­offered protesters a seat on a working group to review the university’s defence research ties, which led to calls for vice-chancellor Mark Scott to resign.

The university said at the time that the continued presence of the encampment had become a “significant and unacceptable disruption”.

The university on Monday welcomed the partial exit of protesters. “We welcome the statement from encampment representatives that the camp is shutting down and we will continue working with them to clear the area in preparation for our semester two festivities,” a spokesman said. “We remain ­absolutely committed to freedom of speech and academic freedom, and are aware a wide range of views and perspectives exist among our community.”

The pro-Palestine encampment at the University of Sydney was the first one pitched on an Australian campus following similar protests at US colleges.

Opposition education spokeswoman Sarah Henderson called on the Australian Nat­ional University to order protesters to leave. “There is nothing peaceful or respectful about these camps of hate, as ANU’s vice-chancellor Genevieve Bell contended in Senate estimates recently,” Senator Henderson said. “ANU’s continuing endorsement of this unauthorised occupation on university grounds – which is fuelling so much hate, incitement, and division – is untenable.”