Melbourne students face expulsion in unprecedented repression of Palestine activism

Two students at the University of Melbourne could be expelled and two others suspended for participating in a pro-Palestine protest last year, in what rights groups are calling an unprecedented crackdown on political activism in Australia.

All four students plan to appeal the penalties if they are enforced, according to a report by The Guardian.

The protest took place in October 2024, when demonstrators briefly occupied the office of a university academic allegedly linked to partnerships with Israel's University of Jerusalem. Protesters called for the university to disclose and divest from collaborations with Israeli institutions, citing Israel’s human rights record and occupation of Palestinian territories in alignment with the global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

One student, reportedly facing expulsion, told The Guardian they were present for "no more than 10 minutes" and had not engaged in harassment or intimidation. Nevertheless, the university pushed for expulsion, citing the "seriousness of the breaches" and the student's prior conduct record.

The university accused the students of harassment, property damage, and placing stickers on personal items during the protest. The students insist the demonstration was peaceful and respectful.

A source identified as Niamh said the University of Melbourne council, led at the time by Vice-Chancellor Duncan Maskell, had "prejudged" the students. In an email sent to all staff the day after the protest, Maskell described it as "an attempt to harass and intimidate" academic staff, while a statement later criticised in an open letter signed by 174 staff members, who said it risked undermining procedural fairness and fuelling media mischaracterisations of the protest as "antisemitic".

Following Maskell's departure, new Vice-Chancellor Emma Johnston imposed tighter restrictions, including bans on indoor protests and on demonstrations that block building access. The university says these rules apply to both staff and students and also cover "individual forms of action".

In a statement to The New Arab, the university said it "respects the rights of individuals to protest", stressing that "this has not changed".

"Universities are places where free and open debate must take place, but the safety of our students and staff must also be protected as this is integral to enabling free and open debate," the statement said.

The university "followed its disciplinary processes in accordance with policy", it added, noting that affected students "have a right to appeal the decisions through internal University processes".

The crackdown has drawn condemnation from the university’s student union, the National Tertiary Education Union, and rights groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, which have urged the university to revoke the measures.

Greens deputy leader Mehreen Faruqi slammed the university’s response as a "McCarthyist crackdown" on pro-Palestine activism.

Pro-Palestinian group Students for Palestine issued a statement on Instagram expressing solidarity with the students and warning that if the decisions are upheld, it would "set a dangerous precedent for student activism".

"The University of Melbourne claims that ‘students are free to express ideas and political views’. Yet they have repeatedly tried to repress and persecute staff and students who oppose Israel’s genocide in Gaza," the statement said. It also called on the university to withdraw the disciplinary measures and rescind its new protest rules.

Last month, student activists at the university attempted to relaunch their Gaza solidarity encampment, originally set up after Israel’s assault on Gaza began in October 2023. The students had planned to honour Palestinian alumnus Mahmoud Alnaouq, who was due to begin his studies at the university before being killed, along with 19 family members, in an Israeli airstrike.