Universities ramp up crackdowns on pro-Palestine protesters

Universities are ramping up crackdowns on pro-Palestine protesters camped on campuses, with the University of Queensland warning students could face disciplinary action for chanting “out, out, Israel out” or using the word “intifada”, write Adeshola Ore and Caitlin Cassidy for The Guardian Australia.

Students at multiple universities have been defying administrators’ orders to pack up encampments, vowing to continue their protests against institutions’ ties to weapons manufacturers linked to Israel’s war in Gaza.

Melbourne’s La Trobe University said it would commence “misconduct proceedings” against protesters at an encampment while the University of Melbourne has also threatened activists with expulsion over their encampment in the Arts West building, saying on Monday that it poses a safety and fire risk. In an email sent to University of Queensland encampment organisers on Friday 17 May, the deputy vice-chancellor, Professor Kris Ryan, said the expression “intifada” – the Arabic word for uprising that was displayed on some posters on campus – could be considered threatening, intimidating or harassing to some people.
Full report on The Guardian site