Absurd, unchecked, and dangerous: the extremism behind the USyd Student General Meeting

At the University of Sydney, a new wave of radical, misinformed activism is pushing student politics into dangerous and antisemitic territory.

A poster circulating around campus, paired with an inflammatory and ideologically extreme letter, invites students to attend a so-called “Student General Meeting” (SGM) on May 14th to vote against what they call “USYD’s new definition of antisemitism.” In reality, they are not rejecting definitions—they are rejecting facts, common sense, and basic moral decency.

Let’s be clear: the Group of Eight definition of antisemitism adopted by 39 Australian universities is already a watered-down version of the widely accepted International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition. It barely scratches the surface of what Jewish students and communities have faced, particularly in the wake of October 7.

But the individuals behind this SGM want even that removed. Why? Because they want to legitimise open calls for the elimination of the State of Israel—a sovereign nation and home to over seven million Jews. They claim that such calls are not antisemitic, while at the same time spreading deeply offensive rhetoric that delegitimises Jewish self-determination, echoes genocidal chants, and denies the lived experiences of Jewish students.

The accompanying letter is riddled with distortions and inflammatory falsehoods. It accuses Israel of “genocide” and being a “terror state,” while calling for a single state to replace Israel “from the river to the sea”—a phrase that has long been understood as a call for the destruction of Israel and the eradication of Jewish sovereignty.

It claims that opposing Zionism—the movement for Jewish self-determination—is not antisemitic, even as it dismisses Israel as a “Jewish supremacist state” and endorses actions that would strip Jewish people of the very rights and protections afforded to every other nation. In doing so, the letter erases Jewish identity, history, and connection to the land of Israel—core elements of contemporary antisemitism as defined globally.

The authors invoke Amnesty International in their defence, ignoring the fact that Amnesty’s position is itself heavily disputed and politically driven, and has been widely criticised for failing to meet the most basic standards of objectivity. Meanwhile, the letter makes no mention of the more than 1,200 Israelis brutally murdered by Hamas on October 7, nor the very real trauma faced by Jewish students on campus today—students who are being targeted not for their actions, but for their identity.

This isn’t activism. This is ideological fanaticism, unmoored from truth and human decency. It is not about human rights. It is not about peace. It is about vilifying Israel, marginalising Jewish voices, and pushing a radical, one-sided agenda that whitewashes terrorism and incites division.

Even worse, the flyer declares “Anti-Zionism is not Antisemitism,” while pushing some of the most openly antisemitic positions we’ve seen on an Australian campus in decades. This movement denies Jewish identity, erases Jewish history, and seeks to silence Jewish students through fear, pressure, and bullying.

Enough is enough.

StandWithUs will not sit silently while the University of Sydney becomes a playground for radical activists who peddle lies, glorify hate, and threaten the safety of Jewish students. We will push back—through education, legal support, advocacy, and truth.

To Jewish students feeling alone: you are not alone.

To university administrators tempted to remain passive: now is the time for leadership, not cowardice.

To the public: see this movement for what it is—an absurd, ideologically bankrupt, and dangerous campaign that twists human rights language to promote antisemitism and violence.

StandWithUs will be meeting with the University of Sydney administration to raise these concerns directly and urge immediate, tangible action to protect students and uphold the university’s responsibility to foster an inclusive and respectful learning environment. A response of words alone will no longer suffice. The time has come for firm and principled leadership in the face of rising antisemitism on campus.

We call on the University of Sydney to reaffirm its commitment to fighting antisemitism in all its forms—including this latest, ugly mutation—and we hope the administration demonstrates that commitment through decisive action, not hollow statements.

We will not back down. We will not be silent. And we will not allow this hate to go unchallenged.

Michael Gencher is the executive director of StandWithUs Australia.