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
