On 8th May, students at The University of Melbourne (UniMelb) attempted to relaunch the Palestine solidarity encampment, organised by the Coalition of Palestine and the Free Palestine Coalition Naarm. This follows the recent anniversary of the start of multiple encampments across Australia, including UniMelb, University of Sydney (USyd) and University of Newcastle (UoN).
The statement by the Palestine Coalitions states “the students refuse to be silenced and intimidated by the University’s illegitimate use of legislation and technology.”
The students honoured the memory of Mahmoud Alnaouq, a Palestinian scholarship recipient who was enrolled to study a Masters in International Relations at UniMelb. Alnaouq was “brutally killed by Israeli airstrike, along with 19 members of his family.” He was unable to attain his degree.
The Coalition states that Alnaouq’s “martyrdom” serves as a reminder that “silence, apathy, and inaction in the face of oppression is complicity.” The students condemn the university for their continued criminalisation of Palestinian voices and student-led Palestine activism.
The Coalition demands the following from UniMelb:
- Greater recognition and support for Palestinian students and academics on campus.
- Offer ‘Mahmoud Alnaouq Scholarship’ for displaced and disadvantaged students in Palestine.
- Cut ties with Israeli universities illegally operating in the West Bank and occupied Palestinian territories.
- Complete disclosure of information regarding tires with any weapon manufacturers or organisations profiting from war.
- Public condemnation of the [Israel Occupying Force] and the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.
- Protect freedom of expression and assembly on campus.
- Rework definition of antisemitism to allow to legitimate criticism of the state of Israel and Zionist movement.
- Reverse punishment of protesters.
- Security stated that it was not a matter of trust, but of policy.
During the set up of the encampment, security was called to the University’s South Lawn. Those present at the encampment were advised that students and staff with identification would be able to protest on campus, external to any buildings. Under the UniMelb Vice-Chancellor Regulations, any person who is not student or staff, and protesting on campus grounds, is considered to be ‘trespassing,’ and may be referred to the Victorian Police. The students were then told to remove their tents, or otherwise risk arrest for ‘trespassing.’ When protestors challenged this request, Victoria Police were notified, and approached the encampment. After packing up the tents, a number of protesters stayed on the South Lawn to continue showing solidarity for the case.
One student told security, “You have to understand that there is no trust between the university and the students and staff here.”
In Victoria, many of the Palestine solidarity encampments in 2024 were met with threats and violence from police and counter-protesters. Counter-protestors harassed students and vandalised the Monash University encampment.
On 9th May, the Coalition 4 Palestine posted a statement regarding the shutdown of the attempted encampment. The statement noted that “The events that occurred yesterday were a clear demonstration of the university’s draconian strategy of political expression.” The statement noted that the organisers are continuing to evaluate next steps for the movement.
A University of Melbourne spokesperson told Honi: “A small group of protestors assembled at our Parkville campus yesterday and put up two small tents. The University responded in line with our protocols and the protestors packed up the tents shortly after.”
Follow @coalition4.palestine and @freepalestinecoalition.naarm for future updates.
