Turnbull slams ‘fascism’ after protesters shout him out of university speech

Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has decried “fascism” and challenged Sydney’s oldest university to protect free speech on campus after he was yelled and sworn at by student protesters during a function and escorted out by police.

Turnbull left the Sydney University Law Society event on Thursday without speaking, following the boycott by members of the Student Representative Council and student body, who called him “ruling class scum” who “wouldn’t listen to anyone below” him.

Malcolm Turnbull was escorted from the event by police following a protest by students.

He said it was a “dreadful state of affairs” and “a very sad day” for his alma mater and argued free speech no longer existed on campus if it was in the hands of protesters with loudspeakers.

“It’s just complete fascism. Just extraordinary,” Turnbull told the Herald. “One of the things they accused me of being was anti-queer, which didn’t seem to match the fact that I legalised same-sex marriage. It was literally a litany of objections.”

In video clips posted online, students can be seen yelling into microphones and loudspeakers as Turnbull stands at the front of the room.

“Can I just ask, how many of you would like me to speak today, or how many of you would like me to leave?” Turnbull asked the room of students.

“How many of you would like to pay $100,000 for university?” retorted a young man who was part of the protest. “F--- back off to Mosman, F--- back off to Wentworth.”

A young woman with a megaphone accused Turnbull and successive federal governments of destroying young people’s ability to access welfare payments, and said the Law Society had invited the former prime minister to speak under the guise of free speech.

“The Law Society, which is a student group, is inviting someone on campus under the guise of free speech, when this man and his party have literally been one of the single most damaging forces to higher education, to climate change, to refugee policy,” one protester said.

Sydney University student newspaper Honi Soit identified some of the protesters as SRC officers.

Turnbull said it was for the university to explain whether it would be run by protesters, whom he described as “a very noisy, aggressive minority of people with loudhailers”.

“There’s no free speech at Sydney University unless the people with the loudhailers allow it to happen,” he said. “I don’t know what they’re paying the Senate and officials at the university for if they’re not in charge of their own campus.”

A spokesperson for the University of Sydney told the Herald that the university had since apologised to the former prime minister, and that it “looks forward to warmly welcoming him back to campus for any events in the future”.

The spokesperson said that “attempts to shut down speakers who have been invited to participate in an exchange of views and ideas breaches core values of our university” and that the university would “be investigating the issue further”.

Speaking to the Herald, SRC president Lauren Lancaster said she was “disappointed” that the Law Society had invited the former prime minister to speak, and that “it was a peaceful protest” and “a pretty expected outcome”.

Police confirmed they were called to Sydney University following reports of an “unauthorised protest”.

“During the demonstration, a 67-year-old man was escorted to his vehicle with the assistance of police and left the area without incident,” a police spokesperson said. “Approximately 20 persons were subsequently removed by venue security.”

Thursday’s protest comes five days after former Australian treasurer Joe Hockey was confronted by protesters at a University of Sydney open day.

In that instance, a university education officer, who identified himself as Deaglan Godwin, entered a lecture theatre and confronted Hockey, chanting, “Cuts, job losses, money for the bosses. Joe Hockey get out, we know what you’re all about.”

Godwin went on to say, “This man right here [Hockey] is responsible for trying to deregulate university fees.”

The spokesperson said that the university was also aware of the protest on the open day, and that “after a brief disruption the event attended by former federal minister Joe Hockey proceeded as planned”.

With Sarah Keoghan

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