Students gathered in front of the Great Hall today as part of a snap rally action opposing former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s appearance on campus. Abbott and podcaster Konstantin Kisin were invited to speak by the Sydney University Conservative Club.
Co-chaired by student activist Eddie Stephenson and SRC Education Officer Grace Street, the snap rally started with short speeches and chants outside Fisher Library, encouraging students to join the protest. Street noted that “Tony Abbott may think he’s still welcome here because he was a student, but he was a St John’s student of the colleges that we hate.”
Students then marched to the Great Hall chanting “Tony Abbott go to hell, take the Liberals there as well.”
At the Great Hall, Stephenson began the speeches by highlighting the proliferation of racist, xenophobic and homophobic policies espoused by Abbott during his time as prime minister, “[he made] ‘stop the boats’ the catch-cry of Australian racism and conservatism still to this day.
Addressing Abbott’s history with misogyny and homophobia during his time as SRC President as well as during his term, Tim Duff, SRC Queer Officer, said it was “absolutely shameful that [Abbott] would dare show his face a couple days after what should be a celebration of queer joy.”
Duff went on to say that when such views and culture were brought to his government “it’s not a wonder that he had so little women in his cabinet, it’s no wonder that his policies looked [as they did] because he made them here, he designed them here.”
SRC Vice President Deaglan Godwin spoke to Abbott’s “defence of Australian imperialism”, highlighting that during his prime-ministership Abbott “oversaw the continued Australian involvement in the occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan”. Godwin also brought attention to the importance of building “a movement against the far right: against racism, against injustice, against genocide.
Several students were seen to be directed by Conservative Club executive members to the side entrance of the Great Hall due to the rally.
Following the speeches, the rally marched to the other entrances while chanting against Abbott.
It was also reported that many of the ‘Abbott Off Campus’ posters put up yesterday were torn down early this morning.
