Protests Meet a Firmer Hand

Enough is enough.

On Monday, students were once again disrupted by a pro-Palestine sit-in at the University of Melbourne’s Arts West building.

The sit-in began last Wednesday; since then the protest has disrupted an estimated 15,000 students in 475 classes.

Vice-chancellor Duncan Maskell finally issued a “move on” directive, citing disruption and safety concerns.

It follows similar moves by Deakin and Monash universities which, as with some other universities, have been largely ignored by protesters.

Mr Maskell asserted the right to assemble in peaceful protest.

“However, university grounds must not be used for protest that is not peaceful, for protest in a manner that jeopardises the safety and security of persons using university premises, or unreasonably interferes with core university activities,” he said.

Some observers wonder why the university took so long to act decisively, especially since the protest was known to be infiltrated by “professional activists” with no or little association with the institution.

Indeed, the tertiary sector’s response across the nation to such protests, featuring hateful rhetoric from protesters wearing masks and the like, has been belated at best.

Universities have shown they can be pushed around – at the University of Sydney last week, a lecture was “hijacked” by pro-Palestine protesters. It appeared the once obvious distinction between peaceful protest and intimidation and harassment was blurred in exercises of high-level hand-wringing.

A firmer response seems to have been kickstarted by Western Sydney University’s chancellor, Jennifer Westacott, who called for the sector to address the “hate speech and anti-Semitism occurring on our campuses”.

Pro-Palestine protesters at Deakin University’s Burwood campus say they will end camp “triumphantly” on Thursday, while encampments continued on Monday at RMIT’s city campus and La Trobe University in Bundoora.

In response to the move-on order, protesters at the University of Melbourne on Monday tried to form a picket line in front of the Arts West building. Indeed, a growing belligerence appears to have infected some protests in recent times.

Premier Jacinta Allan said she was “disgusted” after demonstrators disrupted a Labor Party conference last weekend.

The rally prompted a security alert, and MPs were locked in the venue. Ms Allan used the word “bullies” to describe the protesters.

“I’m disgusted. No one should be cowered by these bullies,” she said.

On Sunday, police separated pro-Palestine and pro-Israel protests outside Victoria’s parliament, making six arrests.

The pro-Palestine protest was marked by chants such as “from the river to the sea” and calls for intifada, which refers to Palestinian uprisings against Israel.

Many wore face coverings for the protest, promoted in part by an image of a jackboot stomping on the Star of David.

Decent Victorians have wearied of hateful slogans and the harassment not only pro-Israel demonstrators but also of passers-by who get unwittingly dragged into such demonstrations.

As the University of Melbourne’s deputy vice-chancellor Michael Wesley put it last week, the protest sit-in had become “seriously intimidating”.

A firmer hand to control those who seek to intimidate others is welcome after such a sustained period of charged protests here and across the nation.