Two student groups plan to defy the University of Sydney’s recent order to vacate the Quad lawns despite increasing pressure from management to free the space for use in Semester 2 Welcome Fest celebrations.
Both the Sydney University Muslim Students Association (SUMSA) and Students Against War (SAW) have publicly distanced themselves from the announcement made by encampment organisers that they are decamping.
Encampment organisers announced an end to the protest that began in April on social media, saying they were “incredibly proud of our achievement in involving hundreds of new and diverse students in activism,” and that “it inspired student activists around the country to set up their own protest camps, in a nationwide campaign.”
Despite the post bearing SAW’s logo, a representative from SAW wrote in a comment that “SAW does not endorse the unilateral closure of the camp, or the usage of our logo on this statement.”
“We condemn any attempts to bureaucratically pressure groups who are still active within the camp to leave,” the comment read.
SAW claims there was no student meeting or vote on disbanding the encampment.
Other factions who signed onto the statement confirmed that there was no student meeting on the decision but disputed SAW’s involvement in the encampment, telling Honi Soit most SAW members had already left long before the statement was released. Multiple encampment sources said SAW have not been camping out consistently for three weeks.
SUMSA released a similar statement on social media saying they were “aware of comments by other student groups suggesting that the encampment has ended,” but pushed back, saying “this is not the case.”
SUMSA stated they were “in direct communication with the university” to continue negotiations since the encampment unanimously rejected the initial deal proposed by the University in recent weeks.
SUMSA President Abdullah confirmed to Honi that around 20 campers are expected to continue occupying the lawns this week and there were up to 70 last night after a protest was organised following the University’s attempts to clear tents.
Abdullah maintained that the demands of SUMSA for the University to divest from Israel have not changed, and that they were still waiting for a substantive University response.
A University spokesperson told Honi that they “welcome last night’s statement from the majority of student encampment representatives saying they are shutting down the camp.”
They would not confirm a hard deadline for activists to leave the Quad lawns, but said they had begun clearing the clocktower areas this morning due to concerns from emergency services. The spokesperson also said that “work to reclaim the lawns [is] currently underway in preparation for our Semester 2 festivities.”
The spokesperson did not confirm negotiations were ongoing with any faction but expressed concern that “the encampment has also been joined by people including speakers who aren’t staff or students and are not part of the University community,” and maintained members of the public would be asked to leave the campus and students could face disciplinary action if they violated University policy .
“We remain absolutely committed to freedom of speech and academic freedom and are aware a wide range of views and perspectives exist among our community,” the spokesperson said.
