Uncovering campus racism

August 15, 2018 by J-Wire Newsdesk
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The Australasian Union of Jewish Students has congratulated a journalist who has exposed the levels of racism being experienced in Australian universities.

Instagram   Charles Sturt University

Nina Funnell’s thoroughly researched article in The Australian starts detailing an event at St Mark’s residential college in Adelaide University, a university at which Jewish law books were defaced in a library.

Funnell describes an image  with a caption “Happy Hanukkah from Auschwitz!!”

In the article Funnell writes: “The photo, taken at an event organised and hosted at the elite St Mark’s residential college, features two recent students from the University of Adelaide wearing striped concentration camp-style pyjamas, caricature hook noses and a yellow Star of David pinned on their chests.

The students are also depicted wearing mock shackles with prisoner identification numbers marked on their inner arms, simulating those tattooed on Jewish concentration camp victims during the Holocaust.”

In the article which can be read here

Fanning’s research has growing incidents of racist examples across the country.
A spokesperson for  AUSJS told J-Wire: “AUJS is deeply concerned by the pattern of antisemitic behaviour emerging from university campuses. These latest revelations from St. Marks College are a sad reflection on parts of the student population which is not immune to the rise of antisemitism on both the extreme left and right in Australia.
 
That students can view this sort of behaviour as acceptable, or even funny, demonstrates the necessity for better antisemitism and anti-racism education on our campuses. Consequently, AUJS will continue working with student representative councils and universities in passing the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism and creating educational opportunities to promote tolerance and multiculturalism. 
 
When college and university administrations fail to condemn systemic discrimination, they shirk their duty of care to students and allow antisemitism to fester.
AUJS would like to thank Nina Funnell for bringing this concerning issue to light in the hope our universities prioritise educating their students against antisemitism and take active steps to combat systemic discrimination.”

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