A University of Sydney staff member was suspended after allegedly harassing Jewish students and staff holding a Sukkot holiday event on campus last Thursday by calling the attendees “parasites.”
Annamarie Jagose, the University of Sydney’s senior deputy vice chancellor and provost, said on Thursday that the staff member was “immediately suspended and is not presently working on campus or performing any professional duties, including teaching or lecturing.”
“A formal process to respond to the incident is now well underway. This includes further assessment of the incident and consideration of relevant information,” said Jagose.
“Hate speech, antisemitism and harassment have no place at our university. Where our codes are breached, we will not hesitate to take disciplinary action. We sincerely apologize to any staff, students or visitors who are distressed by this incident,” she added.
The Australian Union of Jewish Students (AUJS) said that the participants at the Sukkot event were yelled at, physically threatened, and harassed by the suspended staff member. They were repeatedly referred to as parasites, which invoked “blood libel imagery,” whereby the aggressor had substituted the word “Jew” for “Zionist” in order to conceal their bigotry.
“A Zionist is the lowest form of rubbish,” the staffer could be heard saying in a video published last Thursday by AUJS. “You are a disgusting baby killer”
An attack on the right of Jewish students to exist on campus
AUJS said that the incident was not just an attack on Jewish students and faculty members in attendance, but on the very right of Jews to exist on campus at all.
“This is yet another example of the deeply concerning rise in antisemitism across Australian campuses,” AUJS said in a statement. “Jewish students should be able to celebrate their traditions and contribute fully to campus life with confidence and without fear.”