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Perth Now
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Perth Now
‘Good job': Uni's claim about Palestine protest
The University of Sydney vice-chancellor has told a parliamentary inquiry that staff 'did a good job in peacefully resolving' the longest-running pro-Palestine encampment in the country despite leaders having 'apologised' over its handling of the camp to Jewish students. Sydney's largest and most exclusive universities appeared before a parliamentary committee into anti-Semitism in NSW on Monday to explain what challenges they have faced since October 7, 2023, and what measures they have implemented to combat allegations of anti-Semitism. Among them was The University of Sydney, which has come under fire for its handling of a pro-Palestine encampment, including emails last month that revealed that staff mulled over providing a separate entrance that could be used by Jewish students during mid-year exams last year. In her opening address, USYD vice-chancellor Annamarie Jagose acknowledged the university 'did not get everything right' in responding to the aftermath of Hamas's October 7 attacks on Israel and subsequent protests and had implemented changes to its speech and security policies. 'We have, however, committed to learn from these hugely challenging and complex events and from the experiences of other universities around the world and to listen to those who would work with us to ensure our campuses are safe and welcoming for all,' Professor Jagose said. The pro-Palestine protest took over the lawns of the campus for about two months. NewsWire / Max Mason-Hubers Credit: News Corp Australia Asked later about why the university didn't 'shut down' the months-long encampment, Professor Jagose told the committee that staff 'did a good job in peacefully resolving the longest running encampment in Australia', with an 'absolutely clear policy to de-escalate, to keep calm'. Professor Jagose and external engagement vice-president Kirsten Andrews refuted many allegations levelled at the university during Monday's hearing, including emails containing minutes that outlined plans to provide a separate entrance for exams amid the encampment. The email, dated May 14, detailed discussions about mitigations to be implemented during the exam, namely ensuring 'Jewish students have ways to avoid the encampment when gaining entry to exams', though USYD had refuted that the entrance was intended for Jewish students. 'These included offering different access options for all students or staff wishing to avoid the encampment, and we installed electronic signage where exams were taking place to remind members of the encampment that disruptions would not be tolerated,' USYD said in a statement, The hearing is the second into anti-Semitism in NSW and was established following a wave of anti-Semitic attacks in the state over the summer, many of which have since been linked to a criminal conspiracy debate that is being canvassed by a separate parliamentary inquiry. Universities around the world grappled with an outpouring of protests and counter-protests following the October 7 attacks as pro-Palestine encampments became widespread, including allegations that the actions of protesters made Jewish students and staff feel unsafe on campus. The Australian universities appearing on Monday morning, including USYD, UTS, and UNSW, each detailed wide-ranging changes to their social media and public speech, campus access, and security policies, including in the case of UYSD following an independent review. Protests continue across the country amid Israel's ongoing war in Gaza. NewsWire / Damian Shaw Credit: News Corp Australia University of NSW vice-president Verity Firth AM said staff were 'gravely concerned by the sharp escalation in anti-Semitic events that have occurred in the wake of the appalling events of October 7' and 'deeply distressed by the ongoing conflict and tragic loss of life' in the Middle East. 'As a university, our foremost responsibility is to ensure that all members of our community students, academic and professional staff can engage in, study, research and work in an environment that is secure, respectful and inclusive,' Professor Firth told the parliamentary inquiry. Since the protests, Professor Firth said the school had updated its anti-racism policy to include anti-religious vilification, employed additional guards, increased 'connectivity' with law enforcement, and revised student orientation with a focus on the university's code of conduct. University of Technology Sydney deputy vice-chancellor Kylie Readman told the committee that among other measures the school had also provided additional training to teaching staff, strengthening the complaints mechanism, and expanded student support services. Nonetheless, committee chair and NSW Shooters MLC Robert Brosak grilled all three campuses over the policies at the time of October 7 that they claimed were well established and, rather than being deficient, needed a 'deep look' and to be 'updated', Professor Firth said. More to come.
West Australian
21-05-2025
- Politics
- West Australian
‘New Jim Crow': Sydney uni slammed over plan to ‘segregate' Jewish students during Palestine protest
The University of Sydney proposed providing a separate entrance to exams 'to ensure that Jewish students' could avoid a pro-Palestine encampment in what a Jewish leader has described as 'segregation' and a 'new Jim Crow'. Emails obtained under a Government Information Public Access (GIPA) application shed new light on the university's rolling response to the pro-Palestine encampment, which took over the campus for almost two months last year. In an email on May 14, 2024 titled 'Student encampment planning #20', USYD associate director of risk strategy and operations Lauren Macaulay detailed discussions from the university's midday meetings about the exam period. '(The exam) should go ahead in the MacLaurin Hall and the Great Hall but we need to be clear of our expectations and that it would be counter-productive for both our students and the protest itself for them to disrupt exam activities,' the minutes stated. 'Mitigations include installing the large electronic signs (big and visible) stating our expectations and ensure that Jewish students have ways to avoid the encampment when gaining entry to exams (see actions). 'If there is disruption we need to manage this through our misconduct/consequence framework and through contingency planning (e.g. special consideration and a new exam in the replacement exam period) (see actions).' Further actions were detailed and assigned to various staff, including communication to student groups, discussion of 'safe spaces for students and staff' – including exam spaces – and 'contingency planning processes offline'. Jack Pinczewski, a board member at the Great Synagogue in Sydney, submitted to a state parliament inquiry into anti-Semitism in NSW – the first session of which was held in Sydney this week – that the university 'took the view that to separate Jewish students from their peers was the most effective way of ensuring their safety'. 'Despite their good intentions – to protect Jewish students – that university executives contemplated separate entries for Jewish students to exam rooms is an impossibly shameful racist enterprise,' Mr Pinczewski said. 'As a society, would we accept separate entries to buildings for Asian or Aboriginal students? We would not. 'We acknowledge that notions of 'separate but equal' is not equality at all. What university executives were engaged in through this process was, likely inadvertently, a new form of Jim Crow,' he added, referring to the US laws and practices that segregated black people from whites. It was not immediately clear to what extent the plans were enacted, though the proposals were defended by a university spokesperson who said there was 'no suggestion (the access points) were intended for a select group of students'. 'Tent-based protest camps were a new phenomenon for Sydney and other universities around the world, and we worked hard to ensure our campus remained peaceful, our community safe, and our teaching and research could continue uninterrupted,' the spokesperson said. 'During the exam period we implemented a number of measures to safeguard both the wellbeing of our students and the academic integrity of our assessments. 'These included offering different access options for all students or staff wishing to avoid the encampment, and we installed electronic signage where exams were taking place to remind members of the encampment that disruptions would not be tolerated. 'The different access points offered were available for anyone wishing to use them, there was no suggestion they were intended for a select group of students.' Mr Pinczewski accused USYD of having 'again shirked accountability for their failure to keep Jewish students and staff safe'. 'Their denial of what exists in black and white – contemporaneous documents showing senior university executives were set on segregating Jewish students from their peers – calls into question their commitments to the Jewish community since October last year,' he said. 'As long as attitudes like this persist, one can but wonder if the university's apologies really mean anything at all. 'The university should be called before the Legislative Council committee inquiring into anti-Semitism to account for themselves.' USYD's scramble to respond to 'unprecedented' crisis The emails obtained under the GIPA application reveal the wide-reaching but sometimes frantic response The University of Sydney and its staff took to what was an unprecedented protest on its campus, including damage to the quadrangle and counter-protests. Staff kept diligent records of incidents, and corresponded among departments ahead of time about potential protest and counter-protest activity, including when the right-wing Australian Jewish Association attended the site. 'Political differences aside, the AJA is planning to come to openly antagonise the situation,' an email from an unknown sender to campus security stated on May 2. 'I am unsure if non-student and staff groups are allowed on campus in order to protest, but Campus Security, and the police, need to be ready for such an event.' In an email dated May 2, meeting minutes stated that staff had agreed that 'should police intervene' in the protest, the 'priority should be on de-escalating violence'. The school's social media teams also provided updates to staff on what was being posted online, including from the AJA and mainstream media. In a 'wellbeing update' dated May 17, staff noted that 'Muslim protesters' reported 'feeling profiled' when trying to enter the library. 'Sarah reiterated to protective services staff that they can't just pick out certain people for screening,' the update stated. 'Reported instances female SUMSA students were being sworn at around campus (particularly when close to roads).' Questions were also raised in an email chain that included the vice-chancellor about whether face coverings contravened university policy. Following the end of the encampment in June 2024, the university introduced a new Campus Access Policy 'designed to better safeguard the wellbeing of our students and staff while ensuring free speech on campus, and are reviewing and updating our relevant policies and processes'. The policy, which followed an independent review into the university's policies and procedures, made several changes, including a 'New Civility Rule' requiring speakers at the university to 'make the meaning of contested words and phrases clear'. NSW Council for Civil Liberties chief executive Tim Roberts warned that USYD had 'shown a tendency to overreact and, in doing so, undermined both the ideals of open free debate in a university' and were 'taking a position where they're restricting conversations'. 'If you specifically single out students, a group of students in the response, what you only seek to do is further embolden sort of divisions and the divisive aspect of debates, as opposed as coming at it from a human rights perspective,' Mr Roberts said. In the statement, the USYD spokesperson said the university remained 'absolutely committed to freedom of speech and academic freedom with zero tolerance for any form of racism, threats to safety, hate speech, intimidation, threatening speech, bullying or unlawful harassment, including anti-Semitic or Islamophobic language or behaviour'. The university also instituted changes to its campus security set-up, including the installation of 50 additional CCTV cameras. It also pledged to engage with the Jewish student leadership and with the Sydney Jewish Museum and has five further changes, including about social media use, pending.
