Syd Uni students endorse ‘one Palestinian state’, refuse to condemn October 7

Sydney University students demanded their university “cut ties with genocide in Gaza”, affirmed the Palestinian “right to resist” and endorsed “one Palestinian state” in a fiery student general meeting on Wednesday night.

Students who attempted to add a balancing amendment condemning Hamas’ massacre in Israel on October 7 were booed and sworn at, and that motion was resoundingly defeated.

The events are the latest in a series of encampments and protests which have spurred a burst of antisemitic incidents on campus and left Jewish students feeling under siege at many Australian universities.

Sydney University was strongly criticised by the Executive Council of Australian Jewry after it entered into an agreement to allow Muslim students to review the University’s investments and defence and security-related research activities, as part of a deal to close encampments.

This week’s activities were not the actions of the university but of the Student Representative Council (SRC), an independent entity which called a student general meeting solely to target Israel.

The University released a statement saying it was investigating reports of inappropriate conduct at the meeting.

"We do not tolerate any pro-terrorist statements or commentary, including support for Hamas - and any demonstration of support will result in disciplinary action and other possible legal consequences. "