The following responds to a small group of students and staff at the University of Sydney who, as reported in The Australian last year, brought racial vilification allegations to the Australian Human Rights Commission against their colleagues Nick Riemer and John Keane on the grounds that their criticisms of Israel and of Zionism “considered individually or cumulatively were reasonably likely … to offend, insult, humiliate, or intimidate Jewish persons or Israeli persons in Australia and elsewhere.” In April, the AHRC terminated the complaint on the request of Riemer and Keane, who had pointed out that the complainants had already been fundraising for many months to sue them in the Federal Court, regardless of the outcome of the AHRC process. The complainants have until mid-June to start proceedings in the Federal Court, should they decide to do so. Those who wish to add their name to the statement can do so here.

As Jewish university staff and students we are appalled by the attempt to use racial vilification laws and the Australian Human Rights Commission complaints process to silence Dr Nick Riemer and Professor John Keane, who have exercised their right to free speech to criticise the actions of the Israeli Government, to oppose the ultra-nationalist Zionism that informs them, to express solidarity with Palestinians and Lebanese people, and to call for an end to Israel’s current campaign of extreme violence.

As this vexatious complaint against Dr Riemer and Professor Keane was made, Israel continued to kill and to displace civilians in horrifying numbers and to destroy more life-supporting civic infrastructure in Gaza as it persisted with efforts to depopulate Gaza and the West Bank. It is particularly distressing for us as university staff and students that Israel has destroyed the infrastructure for higher education in Gaza while killing hundreds of our colleagues and peers.

As Jewish university staff and students, we repudiate the attempt by those making the complaint to conflate Zionism, a political ideology with Jewish and non-Jewish adherents, with Jewish identity. This implicates Jews all over the world in the Israeli Government’s current actions as well as its longstanding occupation of Palestinian lands and persecution of Palestinian people. We and our families have faced the scourge of antisemitism, and we recognise the need to address it proactively. But Jews are not a monolith, and the fight against antisemitism is weakened by confusing the criticism of Israel with racism against Jews.

The attempt to silence Dr Riemer, Professor Keane and other academics who seek justice for Palestine forms part of concerted and coordinated efforts to silence critics of Israel across Australia’s university campuses and public squares, trammelling fundamental democratic rights of assembly, protest, expression, and dissent. It is just such moves to suppress free speech and to silence dissenting intellectuals that Jews have so often experienced in our history.

These complainants do not speak for us as Jewish people. Dr Riemer’s and Professor Keane’s criticisms of Zionist ideology and Israel’s actions in Palestine and Lebanon do not offend, insult, humiliate, or intimidate us, as the complainants allege.

As Jewish university staff and students, we reject the notion that criticism of either Israel or Zionism on the one hand, or support for Palestinian and Lebanese people on the other is antisemitic;

we demand that this vexatious complaint be dropped;

and we call on Australia’s universities and the Australian Government to fulfill their democratic responsibilities by robustly protecting and supporting freedom of speech and academic freedom.

Signed:

Honorary Associate Professor Alexander Adelaar, University of Melbourne (Staff)
Professor Dennis Altman AM, LaTrobe (Staff)
Sam Altman, University of Sydney (Staff)
Dr Vanessa Barolsky, Deakin University (Staff)
Dr Naama Blatman, UNSW (Staff)
Professor Linda Briskman, Western Sydney University (Staff)
Dr Naama Carlin, UNSW (Staff)
Senior Lecturer Ned Curthoys, The University of Western Australia (Staff)
Dr Oscar Davis, University of Melbourne (Staff)
Dr Sara Dehm, University of Technology Sydney (Staff)
Simon During, University of Melbourne (Staff)
Michael Edwards, University of Sydney (Staff)
Dr Stella Encel, University of Sydney (Staff)
A/Prof Ben Etherington, Western Sydney University (Staff)
Kevin Fine, UNSW (Staff)
Ethan Gandler, University of Sydney (Student)
Dr Leia Greenslade, Griffith University (Staff)
Mila Heneck, University of Sydney (Staff)
Rosie Isaac, Monash University (Staff)
Yasmine Johnson, University of Sydney (Student)
Louise Katz, University of Sydney (Staff)
Dr Ariel Kline, University of Sydney (Staff)
Sarah Kushinsky, RMIT (Staff)
Professor Alana Lentin, Western Sydney University (Staff)
Professor Mark LeVine , UC Irvine/Sydney (Staff)
Dr Jessica Loyer, William Angliss Institute (Staff)
Dr Marc Mierowsky, University of Melbourne (Staff)
Samuel Milch, University of Sydney (Student)
Noam Peleg, UNSW (Staff)
Jacob Sacher, Monash University (Student)
Sarah Schwartz, University of Melbourne (Staff)
Eva Shteinman, University of Sydney (Student)
Ben Silverstein, Australian National University (Staff)
Dr Jordana Silverstein, University of Melbourne (Staff)
Dr Ruth Singer, University of Melbourne (Staff)
Dr Peter Slezak, UNSW (Staff)
Dr Jesse Adams Stein, University of Technology Sydney (Staff)
Lanie Stockman, RMIT (Student)
Dr Liz Strakosch, University of Melbourne (Staff)
Marcus Strom, The University of Sydney (Staff)
A/Prof Nick Thieberger, University of Melbourne (Staff)
Professor Allon Uhlmann, Holmesglen Insitute (Staff)
Professor Clare Wright, La Trobe University (Staff)
Associate Professor Deborah Zion, Victoria University (Staff)
Professor David Heilpern, Southern Cross University (Staff)
Professor Julie Kalman, Monash University (Staff)
Associate Professor Keely Macarow, RMIT University (Staff)
Emeritus Professor Jan Mason, Western Sydney University (Staff)
Jesse McNicoll, University of Sydney (Staff)
Dr. Edward Neeman, Australian National University (Staff)
Dr Gabriel Parker, The University of Queensland (Student)
Senior Lecturer Douglas Wilson, RMIT University (Staff)
Adam Levy, La Trobe University (Student)

Alumni and Overseas signatories
Guy Abrahams, University of Melbourne (Alumnus)
Dr. Peter Banki, University of Sydney (Alumnus)
Mr. Bernard Elias, Yuba collage (Student)
Sara Dowse, University of Sydney (Alumnus)
Dr Harry Feldman , Australian National University (Alumnus)
Matt Friedman, University of Sydney (Alumnus)
Dr David Glanz, Monash University (Alumnus)
Dr. Marcio Goldman, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (Staff)
Associate Professor Ronit Lentin, Trinity College Dublin (Staff)
Dr Terry Lustig, Sydney (Alumnus)
Dr Meredith Medway, University of Sydney (Alumnus)
Cathy Peters, University of Sydney (Alumnus)
Vivienne Porzsolt, Massey University (Alumnus)
Sabby Sagall, University of East London (Staff, retired)
Dr Ronald Witton, University of Sydney (Alumnus)
Dr Ditta Bartels, University of Sydney and UNSW (Alumnus)
Adam Dickes, University of Sydney (Alumnus)
Martin Munz, University of Melbourne (Alumnus)
Dr Annie Pfingst, Univerasity of Technology, Sydney (Alumnus)
Irene Ulman, University of Sydney (Alumnus)
Dr Hayim Dar, University of Sydney (Alumnus)