University investigating posts from anti-Israel academic
'She has created an unacceptable risk for the welfare and health of Jews and Israelis at the University. It is intolerable that our taxes are propping this up'
Sydney’s Macquarie University has reportedly launched an investigation into academic Randa Abdel-Fattah after a series of controversial social media posts.
In recent days, the Future Fellow in the Department of Sociology wrote “may 2025 be the end of Israel” and made other statements comparing Israel’s actions in Gaza to the Holocaust, prompting complaints from students who say they feel unsafe, according to several media reports.
In the post calling on “the end of Israel”, she added, “May we see the abolishment of the death cult of Zionism and the end of US empire and finally a world where the slaughter, annihilation and torture of Palestinians is no longer daily routine.
“May every baby slaughtered in Zionism’s genocide haunt you who openly support or acquiesce through your gutless silence.”
Another social media post read, “Daily, hourly slaughter. Zionism is a Palestinian slaughterhouse and still there are people supporting this abomination of a regime and ideology. To hell with you all. Every last Zionist. May you never know a second’s peace in your sadistic miserable lives.”
In yet another rant, Abdel-Fattah accused “Israeli Zionist demons” of “murdering, torturing and raping with zero restraint, hourly, daily”.
“Nobody is safe. Doctors, newborns, children, men, women, disabled, elderly. Hospitals, schools, rag-made tents. Congratulations. Here’s your ‘Jewish homeland’. Here’s your ‘right to self-determination’. Here’s your ‘never again’,” she said. “Congratulations to the people of the Holocaust committing a Holocaust.”
Abdel-Fattah was highly criticised earlier this year for leading children in a chant of “from the river to the sea” during an “excursion” to the ostensibly pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of Sydney in May.
Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-CEO Alex Ryvchin told the Daily Telegraph, “There needs to be an end to future public grants to Ms Abdel-Fattah and an immediate review (by Macquarie University) of her fitness to be an educator.
“She has created an unacceptable risk for the welfare and health of Jews and Israelis at the University. It is intolerable that our taxes are propping this up.”
Responding to one of Abdel-Fattah’s posts on X, Ryvchin said, “For as long as the Jews have stubbornly clung to their faith, their traditions and their land, there have been people consumed by a desire to see the Jews get what’s coming to them, be humiliated, be stripped of what’s rightfully theirs, and in some cases, meet their end.
“In each case they think their hatred is provoked by the Jews and entirely justified and the removal of the Jews by any means is a righteous act. The mindset has brought loss and suffering to the Jews to be sure, but it has destroyed the hateful more than the hated. And it takes the rest of society with it.”
Macquarie University issued a statement to the Daily Telegraph confirming it was investigating the social media comments, citing its responsibility to “distressed” students and the university community.
“The University is aware of comments made on social media by a member of its staff that have caused concern and distress among some members of the community,” the statement said.
The statement also noted that Macquarie University maintains policies to balance providing “a safe and welcoming environment for all” with commitments to lawful free speech and academic freedom. It indicated that if any policy breaches are found, the university would address them through established procedures.
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