Greens criticise ‘disgusting’ restrictions on student protests

Tough new restrictions on student protests at the University of Sydney have been branded a “despicable” attempt to suppress free speech.

The policy requires students at Australia’s oldest university to give at least three days’ notice of protests to be held at stands, booths, using loudspeakers or amplifiers, or by displaying banners or posters on buildings.

Tents or temporary shelters were also banned after a protest camp on the 175-year-old sandstone campus protesting Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip stood for nearly two months before campus staff ordered demonstrators to leave in June.

The new measures were approved by the university on June 27, but the Student Council only learned of them on Wednesday evening.

Green Party senator Mehreen Faruqi on Friday slammed the decision, saying consent should not be a prerequisite for exercising the right to protest on campus and pointing out that student activism has a rich history of helping to change the world for the better.

“What we are seeing here is a vile attempt by the neoliberal, corporate management of the university to suppress student activity and political expression,” she said.

“The University of Sydney must get rid of these disgraceful anti-protest laws, which worryingly appear to have been introduced without consultation or notice.”

Violating the rules allows the university to remove property, break up protests and order students and staff to leave parts of campus.

A university spokesman said the policy was in line with policies at other universities.

Vice Chancellor Mark Scott assured students in an email that the policies were in place to ensure the safety of everyone on campus.

“I am glad that in recent weeks we have been able to enjoy a peaceful end to the on-campus camp, but I understand that his presence has challenged us in many ways,” he said.

“This policy supports this by outlining the university’s expectations for all users of our lands…at its core, it upholds our commitment to free speech – while recognizing that we must be able to manage our environment for the safety and protection of all.”

Student council member Shovan Bhattarai said the university was hindering the very initiative he celebrates.

“The University of Sydney has always been a hotbed of political activity and contention,” she said in a statement.

“Great movements to change our country, from the Freedom Rides to the marches against the Vietnam War Moratorium, began on this campus.

“Yet while the university celebrates the movements of the past, they encounter the greatest hostility from the great social movements of the present.”