A student at the Australian National University (ANU) whose relatives were allegedly killed by the Israel Defense Forces in Gaza was asked to provide their death certificates to receive an exam extension, the royal commission into antisemitism has heard.
Inquiry Details
The royal commission into antisemitism and social cohesion is examining the lived experiences of Jewish students and academics, including universities' responses. During Thursday's hearing, barrister Yasser Bakri, representing the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network, questioned ANU's acting provost, Professor Joan Leach, about the case. Bakri said the student's supervisor told them they needed to obtain proof of the deaths to get more time on an assessment.
Leach stated she was unaware of the specific case but described the staffer's response as inappropriate. The fourth set of hearings focuses on Jewish community experiences and university policies.
University Campus Safety Review
Leach also denied that the university had “lost control” of its campus to a pro-Palestine encampment. An internal safety review finalized in October 2024 found the encampment had a “high” psychosocial risk rating. Students set up the camp in April 2024 in solidarity with Palestinians during the Israel-Gaza war, targeting the university's links to weapons manufacturers.
“There is now a procedure so security knows what to do should a protest like an encampment feature,” Leach said. When asked if the ANU had “essentially lost control,” she responded: “I would not characterise it in that way. But I think there were concerns about the risks to students and to people in the university community at that point.” She added that security services actively interacted with the encampment to monitor the situation and encourage students to leave if they felt peer pressure.
Encampment Resolution and Related Incidents
The ANU tried to disband the encampment multiple times, and it ended after a dispute over electricity and light in the evenings. This occurred shortly after the university announced it would not invest in controversial weapons manufacturers or civilian small arms manufacturers.
Leach was also questioned about investigations into an alleged Nazi salute at a student association meeting in May 2024, attended by about 500 people. Video footage appeared to show a student performing a Nazi salute and another mimicking a Hitler moustache. The meeting included debate on the pro-Palestine encampment and Jewish student experiences. One student was removed for misconduct.
Leach explained that the investigator found the moustache gesture was “commonly made” by the student to cover a facial feature they were uncomfortable with. The investigation also concluded no Nazi salute had occurred. “In the case of the alleged salute, the video was captured during the AGM. Unfortunately, it’s not fully on video. It’s very difficult to discern what was going on,” she said. “Through the investigation, other students were asked how they interpreted that gesture, and those students said it was not a Nazi salute. There was a lengthy interview and investigation. There was good reason to believe doing the salute would be pretty antithetical [to that person]. So there was a finding of no misconduct.”
