In a special newsletter to engineering and IT students yesterday, the University advised that it had been alerted to the presence of racist and nationalist posters and graffiti on campus.
The material, found in bathrooms within the Engineering and IT precinct on the Darlington campus, has since been removed by Campus Assist officers in time for the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
A University spokesperson reiterated that prejudicial or racist behaviour is not welcome on campus.
“Any student found to be engaging in such behaviour would be in breach of the code of conduct and subject to the University Of Sydney (Student Discipline) Rule 2016,” the spokesperson said.
Club executives of the Sydney University Engineering Undergraduate Association (SUEUA) and Sydney University IT Society (SUITS) condemned the material.
“SUEUA has always strived for the inclusion of all in our society and in engineering and we’re disappointed to see this kind of activity within the Engineering precinct or anywhere on campus.”
“SUITS is saddened to hear about such activity on campus, let alone in this faculty. We condemn such activity and will continue to work towards a more inclusive campus for students from all backgrounds.”
At this stage, it remains unclear whether the material was distributed by a student or trespasser on University grounds.
This is not the first time racist or nationalist posters have appeared on University grounds.
During 2017’s same sex marriage plebsicite, the Antipodean Resistance, a neo-Nazi youth group, trespassed onto campus and placed posters featuring Nazi iconography on the walls of the Brennan McCallum Learning Hub.
“Nazi youth organising on your campus!” one poster read.
Neighbouring suburbs to the University have also seen a resurgence of far-right organising.
The ‘Lads Society,’ — a collection of men comprising senior members of the United Patriots Front including convicted criminal Blair Cottrell — has its clubhouse in Ashfield.
In late-2018, local community group Ashfield Community Action circulated a graphic on social media, warning that the Lads Society was a deeply racist, homophobic and antisemitic organisation.
“The Sydney branch is known to be led by committed Nazis,” the graphic read.
Honi understands that membership of the Lads Society is restricted to “men of european stock.”
