USYD chief concedes distress over SRC ticket name

University of Sydney vice-chancellor Mark Scott says he intends to address the arrangements that allowed a student ticket to contest Student Representative Council elections under the name “Globalise the Intifada”.

Calling the phrase “incendiary and hurtful”, Scott said he believed the SRC “have exploited the existing arrangements for student elections on campus”.

“The SRC runs its elections independently, but we remain responsible for the safety and wellbeing of everyone on our campuses,” he said.

“I understand the distress felt by Jewish members of our community. We have removed material containing the phrase that are displayed outside designated areas, begun assessing complaints and asked the SRC Electoral Officer to immediately explain how the ticket name was approved in the first place.”

The university has written to the SRC’s electoral officer seeking an explanation of how the name was assessed and whether the decision would be reconsidered, and is seeking guidance from the NSW Electoral Commission.

The AJN also understands Scott invited Jewish communal leaders to meet him on Wednesday afternoon.

In a joint statement on Tuesday, the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ), NSW Jewish Board of Deputies, Australasian Union of Jewish Students, Australian Academic Alliance Against Antisemitism and Jewish chaplaincy group JUNI called for the immediate removal of all remaining material, a prohibition on the phrase in campus campaign material, an investigation into who authorised and displayed it, and consideration of whether the ticket or its candidates should be disqualified.

“Student election processes cannot override the University’s responsibility for what appears on its campus or the safety and wellbeing of its students and staff,” the statement said.

University of Sydney Jewish chaplain Rabbi Eli Feldman said students and staff were frightened and deeply distressed, with some avoiding campus.

“Jewish students and staff should not have to walk past a call to spread violence against Jews simply to attend class,” he said.

ECAJ president Daniel Aghion said students could advocate for Palestinian rights and criticise the Israeli government without advocating, glorifying or calling for violence.

NSW Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane, who along with Premier Chris Minns raised her concerns with Scott directly, said the phrase could not be dismissed as a benign political slogan.

“It is an incitement to hatred and violence against the Jewish community,” Sloane said.

“This sends a distressing signal to Jewish students at the University of Sydney, and right across NSW, that after everything they have been through in recent years, there is still hesitancy among university leadership to tackle antisemitism.”

Member for Wentworth Allegra Spender said she was appalled the student group chose “Globalise the Intifada” as a slogan.

“It can easily be interpreted as a call for violence. Concern for the rights of Palestinian people can be expressed without using a deliberately provocative phrase that is deeply intimidating for the Jewish community,” she said.