Students and activists gathered outside Burwood Court on 20th January 2025 to show solidarity for two Western Sydney University (WSU) students who were arrested by police at a pro-Palestine rally last year.
The two students, aged 24 and 21, were arrested in October 2024 at a pro-Palestine rally at the Parramatta South WSU campus. One student is seen on video being held on the ground by six police officers whilst armed, plain-clothed police officers pushed back crowds. In a separate video, another student is filmed getting dragged outside of a building by several police officers.
The rally took place outside Burwood Court under police presence, where Macquarie University academic Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah spoke on the clamping down of Palestine activism by university management against staff and students.
“Despite the evidence of our own eyes and our own screens bearing witness to this genocide, students and staff at university campuses across this country continue to endure the most serious and systematic assaults on academic and political freedoms,” she said.
The introduction of the Campus Access Policy, the acceptance of recommendations ‘in principle’ of the Hodgkinson Review by the University of Sydney, as well as the banning of flyers with the word genocide at the University of Technology Sydney are some of the key examples of these repressive actions mentioned.
Olivia, a member of Teachers and School Staff 4 Palestine NSW, spoke to the rally on the importance of standing in solidarity with students.
“Any educator dedicated to their career usually embarks on their vocation of teaching not only to impart knowledge and inspire young minds, but we care about the wellbeing of our students.”
Luciana Carusi from Students Against War (SAW) spoke on her experience of harassment for her activism for Palestine.
“I was also arrested for taking part in a peaceful protest,” she told the rally.
“Have you ever thought why they hate peaceful protests so much? It makes it harder for them [to arrest].”
Carusi makes references to the videos seen of police repression against activists peacefully protesting for Palestine, such as the video of a pram being lifted above a crowd at Port Botany last year after a violent scuffle was caused by police.
Israa Merhi, a member of WSU 4 Palestine, spoke to Honi about the police response to the rally last year.
“Students were on their own campus, protesting against their own university for being complicit in genocide and they were told by police that they shouldn’t be there, that they shouldn’t be there protesting,” she said.
Mehri also spoke of WSU feeding information to the police about their activism despite the university initially denying that they were not collaborating with them.
Discussing solidarity, Mehri also said it means a lot to see people show up and support activism in one way or another to “continue the fight” for a free Palestine.
To keep up to date or for more information, check out @wsu4palestine on Instagram.
