How antisemitism grew on Australian campuses. By Robert Gottliebsen in The Australian.
Last year, many Jewish students were too scared to attend campuses. This year they will not be bullied — and they will attend. Violence is possible. …
The remarks of former ACCC chief Graeme Samuel (a Jew) should be a warning to all chancellors. Samuel said: “I wonder if Julie Bishop ever walked down ANU’s University Avenue, as I did, and faced the comments and jeers of the protesters encamped on ANU grounds for 110 days with the permission of the ANU leadership. The culture of any organisation comes from the top.” …
Allowed to fester — for example, Melbourne campus:
The Marxist-based Socialist Alternative movement held its regular Easter [2023] conference at the University of Melbourne.
What is not widely understood in Australia is that while Marxism went into sharp decline after the collapse of the Soviet Union, it has since been reborn — and is now far more skilful — with the aim of undermining Australia’s capitalist system by creating a community belief that the system is not working. …
The Hamas attack on Israel took place in October 2023. The 2024 Marxist conference brought together groups that were not Marxist but which, for different reasons, sought fundamental changes to systems of government.
They included parts of the Islamist movement, which seeks to overthrow Western culture and is, of course, opposed to what has occurred in Gaza; elements of the First Nations movement, which for different reasons want a different legal system; and left-wing sections of the union movement, which are highly influential within the Victorian government.
The Israeli counter-attack triggered a vicious war in Gaza, and Australian Jews were not only persecuted for events in Israel but as symbols of Western civilisation that many of the assembled groups at the University of Melbourne wanted to dismantle.
The Victorian government under Jacinta Allan allowed regular marches, many of which the Marxist groups helped organise.
Melbourne University students also camped in the Arts West building, refusing to leave for about a week until the university agreed to disclose its ties to weapons companies. …
Zero tolerance for the intolerant:
The vice-chancellor of Canberra University, former ALP leader Bill Shorten, said last month his university has not encountered antisemitism but strongly advocates zero tolerance for antisemitism in all universities. He clearly understands what happened at other campuses and warns against bringing outsiders onto university grounds to generate hate. …
Universities with vice-chancellors of real calibre know Bill Shorten is right: zero tolerance must begin next month.