Sydney University to ‘undertake review’ of Palestinian academic ‘Zionist execution’ post

The University of Sydney says it will ‘immediately undertake a review’ after a Palestinian academic wrote on social media that he wanted ‘Zionists executed like we executed Nazis’.

Fahad Ali, a casual academic at the University of Sydney, who has organised many pro-Palestine rallies and actions in Sydney.

You can now listen to The Australian's articles. Give us your feedback.

You can now listen to The Australian's articles.

The University of Sydney says it will “immediately undertake a review” after a Palestinian academic wrote on social media that he wanted “Zionists executed like we executed Nazis”.

Fahad Ali, a casual academic at the university, who has organised many pro-Palestine rallies and actions in Sydney, appeared to re-share a post he had penned on June 12 that had been removed by X for “violating our rules against violent speech”.

The post read: “F..k sanctions, I want Zionists executed like we executed Nazis.”

In re-sharing the post, molecular geneticist Mr Ali wrote: “ ‘Violent speech’ people are on this website every single day celebrating the burning children alive, don’t tell me wanting to see these people hanged like the Nazis were post-Nuremberg is ‘violent’.”

A tweet shared on Fahad Ali's X account on Friday.

Responding to the post, the University of Sydney said: “We’re appalled by these comments and consider them utterly unacceptable, and are immediately undertaking a review.

“As this is a personal account, determining whether they might constitute illegal activity would be a matter for police. Support is available for every member of our community who may need it.”

About an hour after the first post, Mr Ali wrote on X: “Like I’ve stopped giving a f..k. I’m not going to pretend we can coexist with savages and I’m not particular (sic) concerned about the impact on my life for calling it out.”

Mr Ali has shared hundreds of posts on X about the treatment of civilians in Gaza, and posts critical of Israel, Zionism and Zionists.

He appeared at numerous press conferences and spoke against Israel at many rallies in the aftermath of October 7.

Following the now infamous rally at the Sydney Opera House on October 9, 2023, Mr Ali, a co-organiser of the event, told media he had “intervened to shut down anti-Semitic chants from a group of idiots who were in the minority” and that NSW Police failed to assist him. He called the behaviour of the minority “not only vulgar but completely selfish”.

On Friday night, Mr Ali’s X account appeared to have been taken down.