Australian National University defends action over alleged Nazi salute
Monash University Vice Chancellor Sharon Pickering testified before a Royal Commission regarding her management of pro-Palestinian encampments on campus. She defended her decision to remove non-students and enforce strict policies against antisemitic rhetoric.
Why it matters
The testimony reflects the ongoing tension in academic institutions regarding free speech, protest management, and campus safety.
— 6:34pm , first published 3:43pm
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Share A A A When Monash University vice chancellor Sharon Pickering first heard students were planning a pro-Palestinian protest encampment on her campus in April 2024, she was on a flight stopover at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York.
“Fortunately, I had Wi-Fi,” she told the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion on Thursday. “I sat in the lounge at JFK, and I watched the police come onto campus at Columbia [University], and I watched what happened. I needed to get home.”
Pro-Palestinian protesters at Monash University in 2024. Joe Armao On the fourth day of the commission’s scrutiny of Australian universities, Pickering’s evidence suggested she did things differently to some of her colleagues.
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