QUT review clears academics of anti-Semitism at racism conference

A review has found poet Lorna Munro did not intend to promote aggression when she urged delegates at the debate to ‘punch a racist’, and showed slides of people being punched in the head.

Poet Lorna Munro, left, and a slide shown to delegates on the first day of an anti-racism symposium at QUT in Brisbane.

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A university guest speaker who urged academics to “punch a ­racist’’ – including anyone wishing them a happy Australia Day – has been cleared of misconduct by an independent review into an event that also featured a mocking presentation on “Dutton’s Jew’’.

The Queensland University of Technology released a report on Wednesday by former Federal Court judge John Middleton, who spent four months reviewing the symposium staged by QUT’s Carumba Indigenous research institute in January.

Former opposition leader Peter Dutton described as “scandalous’’ a guest speaker’s diatribe against him during “The Greatest Race Debate’’, hosted by QUT on the eve of its two-day academic symposium on anti-racist research. “Our universities should be a safe place for every student,’’ he told The Australian.

“Anti-Semitism and hatred toward Jews exists on campuses and across society this very day, and I’m bewildered by the findings of this inquiry. It should make us all the more determined to stamp out this scourge.’’

The Middleton review has cleared both guest speakers of anti-Semitic conduct, but found some content of the “debate’’ could cause offence.

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry said the Middleton review had “completely overlooked the arrogant, mocking tone’’ of the “Dutton’s Jew’’ presentation during the QUT debate.

“It should have no place on Australian campuses, especially just weeks after childcare centres, synagogues and cars were targeted in anti-Semitic arson attacks,’’ its co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin told The Australian.

“It served to belittle anti-­Semitism as an issue, and to libel those who opposed it as crazed, genocide-supporters or racists.’’

Mr Ryvchin said the QUT review “has provided an insight into how poorly some universities understand the issues facing their Jewish students, staff and wider society’’.

The Middleton report states that QUT should have given “more consideration’’ to conducting the debate.

It found that one guest speaker, Indigenous poet Lorna Munro, had not intended to promote ­aggression when she urged her audience to “punch a racist’’, and showed slides of people being punched in the head.

“Ms Munro’s presentation, while provocative in tone, was clearly satirical in nature and delivered within the context of a comedy event,’’ the report states.

“She did not intend to promote physical aggression but rather engage with cultural discourse through satire and exaggeration.’’

The report includes a transcript from Ms Munro’s presentation, in which she told her audience that “the solution to ­racism is a punch directly in the face, throat or the garra’’.

She stated: “People say that we should call out racism when we witness it. I say punch that c..t in the face. We can all throw them and if you can’t or prefer not to participate, we can assign someone to punch that c..t in the face for you. Satisfaction guaranteed.’’

Ms Munro said people should punch their racist uncle during Christmas lunch, as well as anyone wishing them a “happy Australia Day’’, or people asking “Do you condone Hamas”?

She recalled how, as a schoolgirl, she had punched a boy “square in the face” when he ­racially abused her on a bus.

Indigenous poet Lorna Munro was a guest speaker at the QUT debate, where she urged attendees to ‘punch a racist’’.

The Middleton review found that Ms Munro’s “use of satire and strong language, including expletives, is consistent with a long tradition of political and cultural commentary in comedy that seeks to challenge dominant narratives and provide thought.’’

Mr Middleton also cleared Jewish Council of Australia executive officer Sarah Schwartz after complaints about her satirical “Dutton’s Jew’’ presentation at the debate.

The report includes a transcript of her presentation, in which she accused Mr Dutton of defending Jews for political purposes. “Dutton’s Jew has really, ­really helpfully provided a human shield for him to talk about some of these favourite topics – hating on migrants by arguing the Palestinian refugees are a threat to Jews, just generally hating on Muslims, protecting everyday Australians from left-wing anti-war protesters and, of course, bolstering support for Israel as it commits a genocide,’’ she told the audience.

Footage from a QUT event showed Sarah Schwartz accusing then opposition leader Peter Dutton of politicising the Jewish community.

In an apparent reference to Jillian Segal, the Albanese government’s Special Envoy to Combat Anti-Semitism, Ms Schwartz said she “uses her position to silence Palestinians, quash anti-war protesters … and Albo’s just caving to Dutton’s every demand when it comes to anti-Semitism.’’ Mr Middleton concluded that her presentation was not anti-­Semitic. “Ms Schwartz intended to critique what she perceives as the political weaponisation of Jewish identity and anti-Semitism by certain political leaders,’’ his report states. “She was not critical of Jewish people themselves.’’

Mr Middleton said the presentations by Ms Munro and Ms Schwartz “were not anti-Semitic in nature nor were they offensive to those present at the debate’’.

“The intent of the presen­tations remained aligned with the university’s standards and the purpose of the debate,’’ the report states.

Sarah Schwartz, who leads the controversial left-wing Jewish Council of Australia, was speaking about ‘Dutton’s Jew’, accusing then opposition leader Peter Dutton of politicising the Jewish community.

The Jewish Council of Australia, which describes itself as an “independent Jewish voice supporting Palestinian freedom and justice’’, released a statement on Wednesday welcoming the findings. It said the review “has found that no racist or anti-Semitic content was presented at the symposium, despite smear campaigns by pro-Israel groups and The Australian newspaper’’.

The Middleton review also found that the symposium’s organiser, Carumba Institute executive director Chelsea Watego, had berated “academics who come to spy and leak to the media’’ after a slide of the “Dutton’s Jew” cartoon was sent to The Australian.

“What I wanna say to the person in the room that recorded the Great Debate that had leaked it … shame on you. Shame,’’ she told the symposium.

QUT Professor Chelsea Watego organised the anti-racism symposium.

Immediately after Professor Watego said this, the report states, “a significant number of audience members repeated ‘shame’ in unison and an audience member yelled ‘Punch him in the throat’.’’

The report notes that the chant was aimed at a Jewish academic, associate professor Yoni Naza­rathy, from the University of Queensland School of Mathematics and Physics.

“The ‘shame’ incident should not have occurred,’’ the report states. “However, there was no ­element of anti-Semitism in the incident – the calling out of ‘shame’ was directed solely to Associate Professor Nazarathy for disclosing the slides to the media.

“(He) would have, understandably, felt humiliated and concerned by the reference by one audience member to ‘punch him in the throat’.

“(He) was not labelled as racist – so the reference to ‘punch him in the throat’ was inappropriate.’’

Professor Nazarathy told The Australian on Wednesday that “the whole thing was intimidating’’. He said Mr Middleton had interviewed him for 45 minutes, but the former judge had insisted he “did not want to hear about definitions of anti-Semitism”.

Jewish academic Yoni Nazarathy from the University of Queensland says he felt intimidated at QUT’s anti-racism symposium. Picture: John Gass

The Middleton review said concerns had been raised with QUT about allowing Macquarie University academic Randa Abdel Fattah to speak at the symposium.

“At that time, the main concern was about the possibility, based on her previous public comments, of Dr Abdel-Fattah using hate speech of an anti-Semitic nature,’’ the report states.

“That did not occur.’’

The Australian Research Council froze an $870,000 research grant to Dr Abdel-Fattah after she boasted at the symposium that “I look for ways to bend the rules’’.

The Middleton report recommends that the QUT governing council “consider the future role and function of the Carumba Institute’’.

“The way in which the debate and symposium were organised and carried out demonstrate that there should be more supervision over the public activities carried out by the Carumba Institute and by the university itself,’’ it states.

“Members of the Carumba Institute did not properly review the material to be presented at the debate.

“Professor Watego considered that it was inappropriate to do so, having regard to the context and respect for academic intellectual freedom and freedom of speech.’’

The review found that the Australian Academic Alliance Against Antisemitism (5A) had written to QUT vice-chancellor Professor Margaret Sheil six days before the symposium, “expressing their concern that the line-up of speakers and topics indicated a likelihood of engagement in anti-Semitic hate speech’’.

Professor Sheil said on Wednesday that had accepted all recommendations of the 64-page report.

She said QUT had already “strengthened oversight’’ of the Carumba Institute by requiring that it report directly to the university’s Provost, who is the chief academic officer.

“It is vital that universities remain a place where diverse perspectives can be explored, challenged and better understood,’’ she said.

“However it is equally essential that these discussions are undertaken in a way that is respectful and avoids vilification or discrimination.

“Antisemitism or any other form of racism or discrimination has no place in a university or the broader community.’’

QUT said that “any matters relating to individual staff conduct have been addressed internally and with appropriate confidentiality’’.