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The statement, endorsed by 39 Australian universities, is an official, new definition of antisemitism, drafted by leaders of Australia’s largest universities, known as the Group of Eight (GoE), in consultation with the federal antisemitism envoy, Jillian Segal. Following a senate inquiry into the protests on campuses regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Universities Australia’s (UA) leadership met on Monday the 25th of February and agreed to implement the definition across the nation’s university campuses.
The definition says (in part):
“Antisemitism is discrimination, prejudice, harassment, exclusion, vilification, intimidation or violence that impedes Jews’ ability to participate as equals in educational, political, religious, cultural, economic or social life.
“Criticism of Israel can be antisemitic when it is grounded in harmful tropes, stereotypes or assumptions and when it calls for the elimination of the State of Israel or all Jews or when it holds Jewish individuals or communities responsible for Israel’s actions.
“For most, but not all Jewish Australians, Zionism is a core part of their Jewish identity. Substituting the word ‘Zionist’ for ‘Jew’ does not eliminate the possibility of speech being antisemitic.”
The definition closely aligns with that used by the IHRA (International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance), which has been criticised since its inception in 2005 for problematising criticism of Israel. The backlash has prompted the creation of alternative definitions which draw clear distinctions between antisemitism and legitimate criticism of the crimes against humanity that the state of Israel has committed against Palestinians.
Following the adoption of the IHRA definition in 2021, universities in the UK saw the banning of events relating to Palestine. Similarly, America saw President Donald Trump’s enforcement of the IHRA definition in 2019, resulting in American universities being subjected to legal action related to student actions supporting Palestinian human rights. The construction of the Universities of Australia definition, in close alignment with the IHRA definition, may result in a similar suppression in pro-Palestine activism on Australian campuses.
The Jewish Council of Australia has released a statement that “strongly opposes” the definition, stating that the definition “dangerously conflates Jewish identities with support for the state of Israel and the political ideology of Zionism.” Furthermore, the council states that the universities adopted this statement “without meaningful consultation with Palestinian groups or diverse Jewish groups who are critical of Israel.”
Additionally, Amnesty International Australia has labelled the extremely contested definition of antisemitism as being “a direct attack on fundamental freedoms, stifling freedom of speech, expression, assembly, academic debate, and protest.” Mohamed Duar, Amnesty International Australia’s Occupied Palestinian Territory Spokesperson, said “by adopting this definition, universities will be characterising peaceful protest as a punishable offense.” Duar said the “dangerous definition does not uphold safety”, as it can be used to “silence” and “suppress” student protests. In criticism of the antisemitism definition, he stated that “if universities are truly committed to combating racism, they must adopt a comprehensive, rights-based approach, one that protects all students without eroding fundamental freedoms and rights.”
Written by Mollie Matthews
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