University leader says her sector is 'most prominent' for rising antisemitism

Universities have become the primary venues for antisemitic activity, according to Professor Jennifer Westacott, chancellor of Western Sydney University. In a submission to a royal commission on antisemitism and social cohesion, Westacott stated that university leaders often use the concepts of free speech and academic freedom as shields against taking action on hate speech.

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I speak as an Australian, and a leader, who has watched, with growing alarm, the unravelling of something we once took for granted: that Jewish Australians could live, study and work in safety and dignity.

Westacott described incidents such as placards calling for the murder of Jews and chants advocating for the destruction of Israel as not merely contests of ideas, but deliberate acts of intimidation. She noted that evidence suggests Muslim students were among those who reported feeling unsafe on Australian campuses during recent protests.

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Placards calling for the murder of Jews, chants calling for the annihilation of the Jewish state, behaviour designed to intimidate and to drive fear into a specific group of people. That is not a contest of ideas. That is the deliberate targeting of people because of who they are.

Her decision to speak out was partly motivated by her own childhood experiences with her father's antisemitism. Westacott recalled a moment when her father told her that images of people being hanged only happened to Jews, a statement that deeply affected her. She credits Jewish friends made during her university years with helping her understand the profound impact of antisemitism.

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My father was an antisemite.

Speaking to the royal commission, which is focusing on universities this week, Westacott attributed the slow response from campus authorities to a "moral failure" in leadership. She emphasized that this is a "whole-of-nation failure" rather than the responsibility of a single institution. While acknowledging that universities have improved their response since the peak of protests in 2024, she stressed the need to maintain this momentum.

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No one university, no one government department, no single entity, can be held solely responsible. This was a whole-of-nation failure to comprehend, in real time, the seriousness of what was happening.