Sydney University investigates posters accused of promoting violence

The University of Sydney has launched an investigation into anti-Israel posters circulated on campus that used blood-like imagery and a Palestinian cartoon symbol in material targeting Israeli universities.

The posters promoted a March 26 protest and featured Handala, a cartoon figure usually shown as a barefoot child with his back turned and hands clasped behind him. The image is widely used by pro-Palestinian activists as a symbol of Palestinian displacement and resistance, but Jewish groups have raised concerns about its use in material they say can carry hostile or extremist messaging.

The posters also showed red markings over the logos of Israeli universities. According to the Daily Telegraph, the university wrote to two students believed to have been involved in producing the material, warning that it may have breached student conduct rules.

In the letter, the university said the posters targeted Israeli universities, which it described as civilian academic institutions rather than government bodies. It said portraying those institutions as complicit in apartheid could risk collective blame and potentially affect visiting students.

The university also raised concerns about the red slashes or smears across the university logos, saying they could reasonably be interpreted as blood or gun splatter and could be seen as implicitly endorsing or inciting violence.

The letter also referred to the use of Handala, saying the image was considered by some to be associated with violence against Israeli citizens or opposition to Jewish self-determination.

A separate university letter reportedly warned that the students involved could face disciplinary penalties, including expulsion.

The investigation comes as Jewish students and community groups raise fresh concerns about the climate at Sydney University. The Daily Telegraph reported that two other students were recently seen on Instagram distributing posters promoting a “Globalise the Intifada” forum.

The phrase has drawn strong criticism from Jewish students and communal organisations, who say references to an intifada cannot be separated from terror attacks against Israelis and Jews. The concern has sharpened since the Bondi Beach terror attack, which targeted a Jewish community event.

Australasian Union of Jewish Students advocacy and public relations manager Liat Granot said the combination of the Handala symbol, blood imagery and Israeli academic institutions was deeply troubling.

“Pairing the Handala symbol with blood imagery, specifically directed at Israeli universities and institutions, draws on one of the oldest antisemitic tropes in existence: blood libel accusations,” Granot said.

“Blood libel accusations have been used for centuries to incite violence against Jewish communities, and putting this imagery on a poster so soon after Bondi is far from political commentary.”

StandWithUs Australia executive director Michael Gencher said Jewish and Israeli students should not be forced to confront targeted hostility on campus.

“Once again, it beggars belief that Jewish and Israeli students at the University of Sydney are being forced to confront this sort of targeted hostility on campus,” Gencher said.

“It is welcome that the University of Sydney has launched an investigation, and it is important that the university has acknowledged the seriousness of the material. But concern and process are not enough. We now need to see clear, decisive action and real consequences.”

Gencher said students had the right to take part in peaceful political expression, but universities also had a duty to protect students from intimidation.

“Students have every right to engage in political expression and peaceful protest, but universities also have a responsibility to ensure that their campuses do not become platforms for intimidation, hostility, or the normalisation of language that targets Jewish and Israeli students,” he said.

A University of Sydney spokeswoman said the institution could not comment on individual student matters or ongoing processes but said it responded to complaints and worked to keep its campuses safe and welcoming.

“We take appropriate action if breaches of our policies or codes of conduct are identified,” she said.

“If anyone in our community feels unsafe or witnesses antisemitic, discriminatory or harassing behaviour of any sort, we have a support network in place so they can alert us and we can take action.”

The investigation follows a separate controversy involving Honi Soit, the university’s student newspaper, after an article was published calling for support for listed terrorist organisations and using intifada rhetoric. The article was later removed, and the university said it would strengthen oversight and accountability at the publication.