University of Sydney students’ ‘Absurd, dangerous campaign’
“Barely scratches the surface of what Jewish students and communities have faced," says Michael Gencher.
Director of StandWithUs Australia Michael Gencher has accused the University of Sydney (USYD) of fostering a new wave of “radical, misinformed activism” that is pushing student politics into “dangerous and antisemitic territory”.
It comes as a poster circulating around campus invites students to attend a student general meeting (SGM) on May 14 to vote against “USYD’s new definition of antisemitism”. It claims the definition is not about protecting Jewish students, but is about “shielding the Israeli terror state from accountability for its blatant war crimes and protecting the university’s own ties to this genocidal regime”.
Gencher said the Group of Eight definition of antisemitism, recently adopted by 39 Australian universities, is “already a watered-down version of the widely accepted International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition”.
Gencher said it, “barely scratches the surface of what Jewish students and communities have faced, particularly in the wake of October 7”.
“But the individuals behind this SGM want even that removed. Why? Because they want to legitimise open calls for the elimination of the State of Israel,” he said.
“They claim that such calls are not antisemitic, while at the same time spreading deeply offensive rhetoric that delegitimises Jewish self-determination, echoes genocidal chants and denies the lived experiences of Jewish students.”
Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) head of legal Simone Abel said the proposed motions of the SRC are “overtly racist”, while calling for the downfall of Israel “is not something that the university should tolerate from its student body”.
StandWithUs will be meeting with USYD administration to raise these concerns, with Gencher urging the public to see this movement for what it is – “an absurd, ideologically bankrupt and dangerous campaign that twists human rights language to promote antisemitism and violence”.
“We call on the University of Sydney to reaffirm its commitment to fighting antisemitism in all its forms – including this latest, ugly mutation – and we hope the administration demonstrates that commitment through decisive action, not hollow statements,” he said.
AUJS NSW president Viola Bersten said AUJS is working actively on the ground “to ensure that Jewish students are not silenced, and that our voices – our lived experiences – are heard at the meeting”.
A university spokesperson told The AJN, “Student representative and student-led groups operate independently and do not represent the views of the university,” adding that all students are “required to abide by our policies and codes of conduct, and we don’t hesitate to take action when breaches occur”.
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