A photograph of Sydney university students almost unanimously refusing to condemn Hamas’s October 7 atrocities against Israelis has sparked international criticism.
The photo taken on Wednesday shows almost all hands raised in a packed conference room where the Annual General Meeting of the University of Sydney’s Student Representative Council overwhelmingly rejected a motion condemning Hamas attacks.
Instead, the roughly 600 students in attendance passed a motion supporting Hamas in its “armed resistance” against Israel, prompting political activist Drew Pavlou to condemn the attendees as “genocidal lunatics” in a tweet on Thursday.
Pavlou’s tweet earned the approval of famed Wall Street investor Steve Eisman, who was portrayed by Steve Carell in the Hollywood blockbuster The Big Short.
“Only people warped by these ideologies could support a group of murderers while at the same time condemning their Jewish victims,” he tweeted on Friday.
“What I truly believe is that the far left is on an intellectual journey that will ultimately lead many to call for the extermination of Israel and all Jews. Some of them already have.”
Footage from the same meeting has been widely shared on social media showing student Freya Leach speaking out in favour of condemning Hamas while Palestinian flags are waved in the audience and she is shouted at at times.
“The cold-blooded slaughter of innocent people is not justified,” Ms Leach said, prompting an eruption of loud boos from those listening to her.
This photograph showing Sydney university students voting almost universally not to condemn Hamas and its 7 October attacks has sparked international criticism.
“Hamas is a brutal jihadist regime. You cannot say you defend women and not condemn the rape of Israeli women.”
Her next point is so unpopular with the crowd that she is forced to pause and wait until the noise dies down to restart her sentence.
“You cannot say you support gay people and not condemn Hamas, which takes a Sharia view of gays and suggests they should be thrown off buildings,” he said.
“You cannot support human rights and not support a radical jihadist terrorist regime that has caused the deaths of these Palestinians and also Israelis.”
When her speaking time was up, Ms. Leach defiantly unfurled an Israeli flag and carried it up the auditorium steps to her seat as the crowd continued to boo her.
The pro-Israel lobby group the Australian Jewish Association posted the video on X.
“Students who support terrorists cheered Hamas’s atrocities and laughed,” the Association said.
‘A motion was passed calling for the destruction of the Jewish state.
“The University of Sydney has fallen. It is no longer a safe place for Jewish students. The weakness of Vice-Chancellor Mark Scott has brought this about.”
Emeritus Professor of International Relations at the University of Sydney, Colin Wight, responded to the tweet.
“Incredibly brave. Do you have details of the motions passed and who passed them (the student union)?” she wrote.
Despite an extremely hostile crowd, University of Sydney student Freya Leach spoke passionately in condemning Hamas atrocities.
‘I am an Emeritus Professor at the University of Sydney and if I feel the motions cross the line I will write to Mark (although I don’t expect him to listen to me).
“However, I am also a strong advocate of academic freedom, so it depends on how the motions are worded.”
The University of Sydney issued a statement after the meeting saying it “unequivocally condemns violence, terrorism and any violation of human rights.”
The university stated that “less than one percent of our student population attended the SRC meeting” and that it was independent of the university administration.
“The University is investigating reports of inappropriate conduct at the meeting and has sought police advice on the legality of certain material used to promote the event,” the statement said.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Education Professor Joanne Wright wrote to the meeting’s organisers to “remind them of their obligations to comply with the institution’s code of conduct”, the statement said.
However, the student council responded strongly with a statement posted on its Facebook page accusing the university of “hypocrisy” as well as “denigration” and “slander” of the democratic meeting.
“An overwhelming majority voted in favor of the motion demanding that the university end its ties with arms companies involved in the genocide in Gaza and the university’s ties with Israeli universities that have a proven record of collaboration with the Israel Defense Forces operating on stolen Palestinian land,” the statement said.
“It was a historic demonstration of opposition by students to our university’s complicity in the genocide taking place in Gaza.”
The council said the meeting was the largest of its kind in “decades.”
“The statement (from the University of Sydney) fails to acknowledge the record number of students who attended, nor does it address widespread objections to the university’s links with Israel,” the publication said.
The students also claimed that the university had failed to substantiate with evidence “any of its allegations of violations of university policy or law.”
“This is an attempt to cast doubt on what was a peaceful and democratic event,” the council said, also accusing the university of threatening the independence of the student body and questioning its right to comment on the matter.