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Monash University orders removal of 'Zionist not welcome' signs at
protests
(HTM) Source
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Senior police are working with university leaders in new critical
incident response teams in Sydney and Melbourne, where a deputy
commissioner has been deployed.
"A lot of Jewish students have told me they feel unsafe and unwelcome
at university - that is not on," Clare said. "In the lifetime of our
grandparents, we have seen the evil that antisemitism leads to.
"I have made it clear to universities that there is nothing more
important than the safety of students and staff."
A pro-Palestine march at Monash was called off on Wednesday as
protesters clashed, leading to shirts being torn and flags being
snatched.
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Third-year student Aisha Rhodary, a member of Socialist Alternative,
said the university needed to disclose financial ties to Israel and
blamed pro-Israel groups for setting up clashes. "This is an anti-
racist encampment," she said.
Second-year student Isaac Shiloah said he was there to support Israel,
his country of birth. "They're anti-Zionist; they don't believe in the
concept of a Jewish country in Israel," he said. "They're not peaceful
people trying to promote a two-state solution - not at all."
The tension on campus comes as Australia and allies like the US plead
with Israel to avoid a bloody invasion of the Gazan city of Rafah,
which Israel claims is a Hamas stronghold and where many Palestinians
have lived since being forced to leave other cities that have come
under bombardment.
While Australia's campus tent protests have been relatively peaceful
so far, the rhetoric used by some campaign leaders, who have praised
the Hamas attack, has alarmed Jewish organisations and attracted
police attention.
An Adelaide University encampment leader has repeatedly praised Hamas
and its "magnificent" October 7 attacks, which killed 1200 people,
leading to Israel's invasion of Gaza, which has so far killed more
than 34,000. Israel has so far ignored the latest calls for a
ceasefire. ****
Habibah Jaghoori was sacked as an editor of the student newspaper, in
part for her authorship of an article titled "Death to Israel".
Jaghoori denied this was the basis for her sacking and said it was
instead because she "debated and upset a Zionist kid".
On her social media she has expressed support for Iran and Lebanese
group Hezbollah and was last year charged with producing or
distributing extremist material. The charges were dropped.
Jaghoori told this masthead the encampments were an important part of
the global movement against Israel's military action, which have been
condemned internationally, including at the United Nations and in the
International Court of Justice.
"This is called the student intifada," she said, referring to the
Arabic word for a revolutionary uprising. "This encampment takes its
lessons and values from previous student movements in the past such as
the anti-Vietnam War, as well as previous revolutionaries such as
Malcolm X."
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University of Adelaide said peaceful protests held a "privileged
position within society", stating the need for respect and safety.
Last week, ANU's camp leader said Hamas deserved "unconditional"
Australian support, and the University of Queensland has referred two
unspecified incidents to police, heightening Jewish groups' concerns
about the tone of the demonstrations.
At Monash University, images posted on social media showed prominent
Melbourne activist Ihab Al Azhari at the campus demonstration on
Wednesday. Al Azhari was filmed recently on the steps of the Victorian
Parliament saying that October 7 was the first of many attacks on
Israelis that would ultimately result in the collapse of the state of
Israel.
"This is escalating. It's becoming increasingly violent and tensions
are rising. Someone is going to get seriously hurt, or worse. Police
need to step in," said Labor MP Josh Burns, who is Jewish. The
comments made him the first Labor MP to call for authorities to
intervene.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese continued to condemn the phrase "from
the river to the sea" as undermining the two-state solution supported
by Australia, but he has not criticised the protests.
Labor MP Josh Burns.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
On Monday, senior minister Tony Burke, a leading critic of Israel in
the government, backed the protesters' right to make their point on
campus but noted it must be done with respect and avoid hate speech.
"And on a university campus, of all places, that should be OK," he
said on ABC's _Q+A_.
Opposition education spokesman Sarah Henderson welcomed Monash's move,
saying it was important some universities were stepping up to counter
vilification.
"Hate speech and incitement are flourishing at some universities
because of a failure of moral courage and leadership by the Albanese
government and some vice chancellors," she said
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