Shadow Minister for Education Sarah Henderson has called on the Prime Minister to sack Labor’s hapless education minister, Jason Clare, unless he is prepared to show leadership and ban hate speech on university campuses.
This includes the use of anti-Jewish terrorist slogans and chants such as ‘intifada’ which constitute blatant antisemitism.
“Jason Clare’s trainwreck press conference when he claimed ‘intifada’ and ‘from the river to the sea’ “mean different things to different people” shows an appalling failure of leadership,” Senator Henderson said.
“In defending the use of slogans and chants which call for terrorist violence against Israel and the destruction of the Israeli state, Jason Clare is implicitly green lighting anti-Jewish hate speech on university campuses.
“Following Jason Clare’s failure to directly condemn an activist academic who encouraged children to chant ‘intifada’, it is no wonder the Prime Minister has openly rebuked his education minister today.
“Jason Clare must ban hate speech on campuses to protect the safety of all university students and staff, or he must resign,” Senator Henderson said.
This morning in Sydney, Senator Henderson convened a second round table of Jewish university students, staff and community leaders who shared horror stories at university campuses.
“Everyone at an Australian university has a right to be safe,” Senator Henderson said.
“This morning, students and academics shared terrible stories of intimidation, harassment, and threats to their safety.
“The failure to protect Jewish students and staff on campus, including by shutting down encampments, is particularly bad at the University of Sydney.
“USyd’s failure to uphold codes of conduct and shut down the encampment has emboldened the activists, fuelling harassment and intimidation of Jewish and non-Jewish students.