Anti-Zionist speech case to test race hate laws

Two landmark cases against University of Sydney academics over their commentary about Israel-Palestine will test the limits of Australia's hate speech laws.

Jewish academics are seeking an injunction against, and a public apology from, Dr Nick Riemer and Professor John Keane over public statements and social media posts made after the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023. They also want an apology from the University, which they say is vicariously responsible for the academics’ statements.

The two cases were initated last year by Joseph Toltz; a researcher specialising in Jewish music, Suzanne Rutland, a professor emerita and renowned historian; Yaniv Levy, an administrator in the Faculty of Medicine and Health; and Ariel Eisner, a member of AUJS, against Riemer, a Senior Lecturer in English, and John Keane, a Professor in Politics. They will be heard in the Federal Court in Sydney on May 5.

In the Riemer case, the applicants claim that after the attack by Hamas, Riemer made offensive public statements strongly critical of actions or positions he attributed to ‘Zionists’. They argue that as Jews who identify as Zionists or as Israelis, they were targeted by his comments.

In the Keane case, they claim that Keane’s posting of Hamas flags on his X page on October 8, 2023 imputed that Keane “celebrated, endorsed, supported and approved” the Hamas attacks. They also claim that Keane doxed more than a dozen Jewish academics at the University by posting their joint letter of complaint to him without their permission.