A Jewish professor has told the royal commission into antisemitism that he feared a terrorist attack when pro-Palestine protesters occupied his office, and that universities have failed to adequately address antisemitic incidents on campus.
Professor's testimony
Steven Prawer, a professor of physics at the University of Melbourne, said on Tuesday that he did not know at the time whether the occupation of his office on 9 October 2024 was a protest or a terrorist attack. About 20 pro-Palestine students, covered in keffiyehs, hoods and masks, occupied his office for approximately 90 minutes, protesting the university's partnerships with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Prawer, a self-described Zionist who wears a kippah, is the academic lead for the universities' joint PhD program.
"This was only one year after the atrocities in Israel and so I was very perturbed," Prawer said. "I had no idea at that stage if it was a protest, if it was a terrorist attack."
Two protesters were recommended for expulsion and two for suspension after the incident. However, the decision was overturned by the academic board after an appeal. Prawer described the protesters' allegations that the university was complicit in genocide due to its partnerships with Israel as "ridiculous" and said the protest was a "highly personal attack".
University response and deterrence
Prawer said he still does not know the identity of the protesters, despite hiring a private investigator as he feared "Hamas connections". "I think for my protection … I should know who these people are," he said. "The community needs to hear loudly and clearly that the university tolerates dissent but it doesn't tolerate misbehaviour … Where's the deterrence?"
After the sit-in and occupation, indoor protests at the University of Melbourne have been banned. A university spokesperson described Prawer's testimony as "powerful" and acknowledged the "significant impact" on him and his family. "The university is providing ongoing support to Professor Prawer and we uphold his right to pursue his academic endeavours and research partnerships without being harassed or intimidated," they said.
Broader campus climate
The fourth block of royal commission hearings, taking place in Melbourne this week, is examining the lived experiences of Jewish students and academics, including the response of universities to combat hate. Witnesses also spoke of Jewish students fearing to attend university campuses after the 7 October Hamas terror attack.
A former Monash University student, Paris Enten, spoke of her mental health "deteriorating rapidly" and becoming "clinically traumatised" towards the end of her degree. She said a trigger point was a Holocaust study tour in Europe where some classmates claimed Jews weren't its "main victims" and filmed "TikTok dances in the carparks of Auschwitz".
The president of the Australasian Union of Jewish Students (AUJS), Jeremy Suss, told the commissioner he was often "trying to console" undergraduates who arrived with a "strong sense of apprehension" due to reported antisemitic incidents. Suss attends Monash University and said he had a "productive relationship" with the chancellery but wasn't immune to hostility. After a Jewish event for the Sukkot holiday on the anniversary of 7 October, four individuals approached him and began "quite aggressively" interrogating him, including talking about "killing or exiling all of Israel's population" and saying "we see all of you at your lunches every week".
"I found it incredibly confronting … I ensured members at our AUJS events were no longer packing up on their own," he said. "It is a new constant task to be walking students through the difficult processes of following up from their awful experiences on campus. Universities have not dealt with incidents in a productive or meaningful way. We have many students that have waited months to hear back [about] incidents. Sometimes they are outwardly dismissed … Sometimes they never hear back."
Call for respectful debate
Author, activist and academic Professor Dennis Altman criticised universities for moving to "shut down discussion" on Israel-Palestine, adding the best path forward was to build bridges between Jewish and Palestinian communities. He told the commissioner he was more afraid of "neo-Nazis" than pro-Palestine protesters. "The tendency has been the opposite. It's been to shut down discussion. And that I think in turn promotes all sorts of conspiratorial stories," he said. "What we most need in this country at the moment on this issue is a mutual recognition that people are hurting. Social cohesion demands that all groups come out of their narrow focus and reach across."
