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Pro-Palestinian activists set up an encampment last week outside
the sandstone main hall at University of Sydney, one of
Australia's largest tertiary institutions.
Similar camps have sprung up at universities in Melbourne,
Canberra and other Australian cities.
Unlike in the U.S., where police have forcibly removed scores of
defiant pro-Palestinian protesters at several colleges, protest
sites in Australia have been peaceful with scant police
presence.
On Friday, protesters rallied to demand University of Sydney
divest from companies with ties to Israel, echoing calls from
students in the U.S., Canada and France.
Standing in the chanting crowd of more than 300 with his
two-year old son on his shoulders, Matt, 39, said he came to
show it was not just students angry at Israel's actions in Gaza.
"Once you understand what is going on you have a responsibility
to try and get involved and raise awareness and show
solidarity," he told Reuters, declining to give his last name.
Several hundred meters away from the Sydney university protest
and separated by lines of security guards, hundreds gathered
under Australian and Israeli flags to hear speakers say the
pro-Palestinian protests made Jewish students and staff feel
unsafe on campus.
"There's no space for anybody else, walking through campus
chanting 'Intifada' and 'from the river to the sea' it does
something, it's scary," said Sarah, an academic who declined to
give her name for fear of repercussions.
University of Sydney vice chancellor Mark Scott told local media
on Thursday the pro-Palestinian encampment could stay on campus
in part because there was not the violence seen in the U.S.
While several police cars were parked at the entrance to the
university, no police were present at either protest.
Long a stalwart ally of Israel, Australia has become
increasingly critical of its conduct in Gaza, where an
Australian aid worker was killed in an Israeli attack last
month.
Pro-Palestinian protesters said the government had not done
enough to push for peace and led the crowd in chants against
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his government.
(Reporting by Lewis Jackson; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)
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