Australian university failed its Jewish students, top officials admit

Administrators of the Australian National University say the school did not live up to its obligations to protect Jewish students after Oct. 7.

By World Israel News Staff

The head of Australian National University has apologized for the university’s failure to protect Jewish students and employees from harassment and psychological harm during a prolonged anti-Israel protest encampment on its Canberra campus in 2024.

Interim Vice-Chancellor Rebekah Brown issued the apology Thursday while testifying before Australia’s Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion, which is examining the experiences of Jewish students and staff and how universities responded to antisemitic incidents.

Brown said Jewish members of the university community had “an absolute right to feel safe, respected and heard on our campus.”

“I’m sorry that they didn’t,” she added, pledging to improve the university’s response while she remains in office.

Brown became interim vice-chancellor late last year but served as ANU’s provost and most senior academic during the 2024 encampment. The protest camp operated from April until August, lasting 110 days — longer than any other university encampment in Australia.

The commission heard that Jewish students were subjected to hostility because of their identity and presumed connection to Israel. One student, identified as Liat, testified that protesters called her a “baby killer” and “genocide supporter.”

ANU’s acting provost, Joan Leach, acknowledged that directing those accusations at an individual Jewish student amounted to antisemitic harassment because it held her responsible for events taking place thousands of miles away.

The hearing was also told that ANU commissioned an internal assessment in July 2024 that found the encampment created a serious risk of psychological harm. Despite that finding, the protest continued for several more weeks.

Brown acknowledged that the university’s response had been inadequate and said ANU had since introduced measures intended to address antisemitism, racism and harassment more effectively.

The changes include revisions to the student code of conduct, mandatory training for students living in university residences, and staff instruction covering antisemitism, racism, bystander intervention and harmful conduct.

Brown said implementation was not yet complete across the university and conceded that additional work remained.

The commission also examined allegations that offensive gestures were made during an online meeting of the university’s student association in 2024. A Jewish student alleged that one participant made a gesture resembling a Nazi salute and another appeared to mimic Adolf Hitler’s mustache.

ANU investigations did not find misconduct in either case.

The royal commission heard similar testimony concerning conditions at Monash University in Melbourne, where an encampment operated between April and May 2024.

Monash Vice-Chancellor Sharon Pickering said the campus atmosphere worsened after protest organizers published a social media message declaring that Zionists were not welcome at the university.

Monash asked Meta to remove the post and informed students that the university would not tolerate antisemitism disguised as political activism. Pickering said Jewish staff and students reported being verbally abused while passing the encampment, with some avoiding the campus entirely.

In a statement following her testimony, Pickering described the commission as an opportunity for Australian institutions to “listen deeply to the lived experiences” presented by Jewish students and employees.

The inquiry’s university hearings have included testimony that Jewish students were increasingly treated as representatives of the Israeli government and personally blamed for the war in Gaza.

An Australasian Union of Jewish Students survey presented during the wider proceedings found that 64% of Jewish university students had experienced antisemitism and 57% had concealed their Jewish identities on campus.

University leaders have acknowledged that administrators were unprepared for the scale and duration of the 2024 encampments and were often slow to distinguish protected political expression from conduct targeting individual Jewish students.

The Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion was established following the December 2025 terrorist attack on a Jewish event at Bondi Beach. More than 20,000 submissions were delivered to the commission before its June deadline.