More than 40 civil society groups across #Australia are calling on #universities to protect the #right to #peaceful #protest and #academic #freedom on #campuses as vice-chancellors appear at the royal commission into #antisemitism. The statement, signed by organisations including the #HumanRightsLawCentre (HRLC), #AmnestyInternational Australia and the #AustralianDemocracyNetwork, expressed “grave #concern at the increasing adoption by universities across Australia of measures that #restrict protest and related student and staff #political #speech”. A senior lawyer at the HRLC, #ReginaFeatherstone, said various anti-protest policies have had a “chilling effect on protest and #dissent on #campus”. The president of the #NationalTertiaryEducationUnion, which signed the statement, Dr #AlisonBarnes, said universities “should be places where staff and students can #speakfreely and organise without fear of #surveillance, #discrimination or other #adverse consequences”. On Wednesday, the interim vice-chancellor of the #UniversityOfMelbourne, Prof #GlynDavis, said #ProPalestine #SitIns on campus led to the institution “quite sharply” changing its protest policies and that further restrictions could arise. #auspol #KneeJerkReactions #Zionism