Arabic version: اللجنة الملكية تستمع إلى طلاب يهود يصفون تجاربهم غير الآمنة في الحرم الجامعي
Jewish Australian university staff and students told the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion they felt unsafe on campus, describing a pattern of antisemitic conduct that escalated after the October 2023 attacks on Israel.
According to ABC News, a witness using the pseudonym “Liat” said a “low level hum of antisemitism” at the Australian National University grew into Nazi gestures, salutes and being called a “baby killer”. She told the commission the university took too long to respond, or did not act, to complaints, and that an 110-day encampment on ANU grounds caused Jewish students immense strain.
Other witnesses gave similar accounts. A University of New South Wales PhD candidate referred to as “ACJ” said four students made Nazi salutes at him during a business class; he reported the incident to police after finding the university’s response a “lacklustre” verbal warning, and later lodged a Fair Work complaint alleging reprisal when casual teaching shifts ceased. Speech pathology academic Andy Smidt told the hearing the University of Sydney was slow to act and its complaints process was overwhelming; her son, then a student, was offered a security escort between classes because of safety concerns.
The testimony included descriptions of social exclusion and daily precautions taken by Jewish students, such as hiding Jewish identity or not using their real name on campus. Witnesses said some campus symbols and slogans, and a student magazine article calling Zionism a “far-right political project,” contributed to an environment that many found threatening. Several witnesses chose partial de-identification to protect their safety.
This matters to readers because the commission’s Melbourne hearings are examining lived experiences at Australian universities since the October 2023 attacks, and because the evidence touches on university responses, campus safety and community wellbeing. What happens next: the royal commission will move on to surveys and studies of Jewish Australian university experiences, examine university responses and hear evidence from the Department of Education.
Related sections: Australia/استراليا | South Australia | Victoria | General | Social/إجتماعية
