UNSW academic subjected to Nazi salutes in class, antisemitism commission hears

An academic at UNSW was subjected to Nazi salutes by students in his business class, the royal commission into antisemitism and social cohesion has heard.

The fourth block of 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.

The royal commissioner, Virginia Bell AC SC, noted Jewish witnesses had been subjected to “ugly antisemitic attacks” after giving evidence of their experiences of antisemitism in earlier hearings, which has led to an AFP referral and charges.

Four academics and students gave evidence under a pseudonym on Monday. One of them, referred to as ACJ, said four students performed Nazi salutes towards him during a business class for international students in 2024.

The tutor and PhD candidate at UNSW said “my grandparents had survived the Holocaust, the Nazis … murdered a huge proportion of my family … And so when someone does a Nazi salute at me it feels like they want to kill me.”

He said he wasn’t certain the students knew he was Jewish, but that their behaviour seemed clearly directed. The academic reached out to his supervisors, noting it was a crime and that he intended to go to the police. He said students were initially issued a formal warning and later suspended after NSW police carried out an investigation.

Another witness, appearing as Liat, moved to Canberra in 2022 to study at the Australian National University (ANU) and described herself as proudly Zionist, with both her parents born in Israel.

After the 7 October 2023 terrorist attack, she said she lost the vast majority of her non-Jewish friends, including being told at a university event “we’re not friends any more, you’re a Zionist”.

“I was very taken aback and deeply hurt … The majority of the people who were my friends at the time just stopped talking to me entirely,” she said.

She described an escalation of antisemitism on campus after 2023, including being called a “baby killer” and “genocide supporter” by students who were part of ANU’s pro-Palestine encampment.

Liat said it was possible to criticise Israel without being antisemitic but she hadn’t seen “examples that accuse Israel of doing things without playing on those [antisemitic] tropes”.

She said there was a “pattern of deflection” in ANU’s response to student concerns, whereby when she and others reported instances of antisemitism, including Nazi gestures, the university “either did nothing or responded so late … it corrected nothing”.

A postgraduate Jewish and Israeli student at a Melbourne university, using the pseudonym ACL, told the royal commission she never felt the need to hide her identity until the aftermath of the 7 October attacks. But it brought a new anxiety, and she decided for the first time in her life not to wear her Magen David – in Hebrew, a “shield” or “protector” – on campus.

“I just felt like I couldn’t be Jewish on campus. I just felt like I had to hide my identity,” she said between tears. “Every time I went to class, I would quite literally strip myself of my Jewish identity.”

In one instance, a lecturer told a small cohort of students, including her, that a scholar was a “good Jew” because they “weren’t a Zionist”. She said she had no issue with criticism of Israel but was opposed to “sweeping statements” on the Middle East.

Counsel assisting at the royal commission, Zelie Heger SC, said a “recurring theme” was Jewish staff and students being assumed to take a particular position on the Middle East, despite “diverse views” among the community.

“Many Jews are opposed to the actions of the government of Israel,” she said. “No one doubts the importance of being able to debate the conflict in the Middle East.

“But I anticipate the evidence will show that there have been instances where protest on these issues has crossed the line.”

Australian universities will be required to adopt definitions on antisemitism, Islamophobia and racism towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from next year, under a legally enforceable standard designed to stamp out discrimination on campuses.

Also appearing on Monday were Yasmine Johnson, a co-convener of Students for Palestine and education officer in the National Union of Students; Hugh de Kretser, the president of the Australian Human Rights Commission; and Josh Keller of the Australian Academic Alliance Against Antisemitism.