Warning as universities refuse police help with pro-Palestine camps

1 week ago 6

Victoria Police are raising concerns with universities regular astir ongoing pro-Palestine pupil encampments but person been told officers are not invited connected campus.

Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said constabulary were gathering with information unit to outline their fears that simmering tensions could boil implicit and go violent.

Counter-demonstrators clash with assemblage information astatine Monash connected Wednesday.

Officers person already been called to Monash University, erstwhile pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel groups clashed. As protests were this week established astatine different Melbourne campuses, universities person sought ineligible proposal from national authorities connected however to respond.

Patton told ABC vigor connected Thursday helium was acrophobic that the longer the encampments remain, the greater the chances are that tensions volition escalate. He said immoderate of the protesters were not assemblage students.

“The longer these encampments spell on, the much radical get there,” helium said.

US universities person called successful riot constabulary to interruption up their ain pupil camps, starring to disfigured clashes, but Australian campuses are mostly leaving protesters alone, portion informing that immoderate violence, racism oregon spot harm volition not beryllium tolerated.

Patton said if section protests escalated successful the aforesaid mode they person successful America, the occupation for constabulary would go progressively difficult.

“We person expressed that if and erstwhile the universities privation us, if it gets to a concern similar we’ve seen overseas wherever there’s been gathering concern oregon thing similar that and the universities past telephone connected america to wide them out, that becomes progressively hard the longer the … encampments spell connected and the much radical get there,” helium said.

“We person engaged with [the universities] and we’ll beryllium engaging with them again to outline to them they request to beryllium satisfied with the hazard they’re accepting successful what they’re doing by allowing these encampments to continue.”

Asked if helium was disquieted astir clashes the longer the encampments were allowed to continue, Patton replied: “Absolutely.”

Patton said universities were keeping constabulary informed erstwhile issues arose successful the camps.

“They are providing proposal to america astir what they’re seeing and if determination are immoderate issues arising, but the contented for maine is however agelong bash they privation this to continue? Where you person people, non-students, activists, I’ll say, engaged successful encampments and a batch of antisemitic views being expressed.

“We don’t privation to spot this hostility exist. So is determination much the universities tin do? Well, they request to see … however overmuch much hazard they’re accepting by allowing these encampments to continue.”

Patton would not remark connected peculiar slogans and chants being utilized astatine immoderate encampments.

“Many radical person a antithetic presumption connected chants, slogans, words, and portion they whitethorn oregon whitethorn not beryllium violative to immoderate people, galore of them aren’t illegal,” helium said. “We get ineligible advice. If anyone commits immoderate transgression offence, we enforce it.”

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