Dr Nick Riemer and Professor John Keane from the University of Sydney faced an initial hearing of a suit brought by a group of Zionist students and staff in the Federal Court of Australia on October 13.
Dr David Brophy told a rally of more than 50 people before the hearing that Riemer and Keane are “in the firing line of the Zionist lawfare campaign being waged by the pro-Israel lobby”.
He said if the Zionists are successful, “no one will be safe standing up for Palestine, on campus or anywhere else in this country”.
NSW Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi said the case against Riemer and Keane is “disgraceful”. She said a spurious anti-racism case will “do nothing to stop the growth of actual racism and fascism in Australia”.
Western Sydney University (WSU) Professor Ben Etherington said the case against the pair is a “misuse of antisemitism to attempt to suppress the Palestinian support movement”. Etherington is the co-author of a support letter, which has been signed by more than 50 Jewish staff and students.
Dr Lana Tatour, from the University of New South Wales, said the case is a “far-right, fascist attack on freedom of speech”. She said that while the case is “weak, indeed ridiculous”, it is “designed to penalise John and Nick through a protracted and painful, legal process.”
She said the case “goes a step further than others” in its claim that to be “anti-Israel” is to be “anti-Jewish” and therefore “antisemitic”.
“In Israel, only the Jewish nationality is officially recognised — not Palestinian or any other. Yet, the applicants … want an Australian court to recognise and legally protect, an Israeli nationality, which the highest Israeli court does not.” The Israeli Supreme Court has ruled that Israel is not a nationality.
National Tertiary Education Union NSW secretary Vince Caughley said the union would campaign to defend the freedom of intellectual expression and the right to speak out against oppression. “It is a basic workplace right to oppose racism and discrimination.” Caughley said the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism, currently being imposed on universities, is a “restriction on campus workers and the right to free speech”.
NSW Council of Civil Liberties President Tim Roberts said it is alarming that employers, including the University of Sydney, are being pressured to limit free speech. “Other concerns are the cost of seeking justice … and the widespread tightening of anti-protest laws by governments around the country.”
Brophy asked supporters to consider contributing to Riemer and Keane’s legal defence crowdfunding campaign. He said it had raised more than $145,000 out of a $250,000 target.
[Donate to Nick Riemer and John Keane’s campaign here.]