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🇦🇺 Australia /Culture & Society

Jewish student details antisemitic abuse, Nazi salutes at Australian National University

From ABC Australia · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • A Jewish Australian woman testified at a royal commission about experiencing antisemitic jokes and Nazi salutes at the Australian National University.
  • The woman, identified as 'Liat', described a campus environment that escalated from subtle antisemitism to overt hostility after the October 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel.
  • She stated the university was slow to respond to her complaints about antisemitic behavior and abuse, including an article critical of Zionism and a prolonged student encampment.

A Jewish student at the Australian National University (ANU) has described an environment rife with antisemitism, including Nazi salutes and being labeled a "baby killer." The student, who uses the pseudonym 'Liat,' testified before the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion.

a low level hum of antisemitism

— LiatDescribing the initial atmosphere at the Australian National University.

Liat recounted that her experience at ANU, which she joined in 2022, began with subtle forms of antisemitism, such as unwelcome jokes about Jewish people and being told she did not belong in a Middle Eastern student club. This "low level hum of antisemitism" intensified significantly after the Hamas attacks on Israel in October 2023.

you're not Middle Eastern, you're Jewish

— Middle Eastern student club representativeWhen Liat approached the club during orientation week.

She told the commission that non-Jewish friends distanced themselves, with one stating they could not remain friends due to her Zionist beliefs. Liat also faced hostility when an ANU student magazine published an article characterizing Zionism as a "far-right political project." The university's dean reportedly informed her that he lacked the authority to remove the article.

unsavoury jokes

— LiatReferring to the early forms of antisemitism she encountered.

The situation further deteriorated with an 110-day student encampment protesting Israel's actions in Gaza. Liat stated that members of the encampment regularly targeted her, calling her a "baby killer and genocide supporter." She expressed that the university's response to her complaints about these incidents was inadequate, with actions taken too slowly or not at all.

I didn't feel that I was capable of pushing back against that regardless of how inappropriate it was

— LiatExplaining her reaction to the initial antisemitic jokes.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Australia in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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