Backlash erupts as photo of 600 Sydney University students staging a controversial vote gets global attention

A photo of Sydney university students almost unanimously refusing to condemn the Hamas October 7 atrocities committed against Israelis has drawn international criticism.

The photo taken on Wednesday shows nearly all hands raised at a packed lecture theatre where the Sydney University’s Student Representative Council AGM overwhelmingly voted down a motion condemning the Hamas attacks.

Instead the roughly 600 students in attendance passed a motion supporting Hamas in their ‘armed resistance’ against Israel, which prompted political activist Drew Pavlou to condemn those attending as ‘genocidal lunatics’ in a tweet on Thursday.

Mr Pavlou’s tweet gained approval from famed Wall Street investor Steve Eisman, who was portrayed by Steve Carell in Hollywood blockbuster The Big Short.

‘Only people warped by these ideologies could support a bunch of murderers and simultaneously condemn their Jewish victims,’ he tweeted on Friday.

‘What I sincerely believe is that the far left is on an intellectual journey that will eventually lead many to call for the extermination of Israel and all Jews. Some of them are already there.’

Confronting footage from the same meeting has been widely shared on social media showing student Freya Leach speaking in favour of condemning Hamas while Palestinian flags are waved in the audience and she is shouted down at junctures.

‘Cold-blood massacre of innocent people is not justified,’ Ms Leach said, causing an eruption of loud heckles and booing from those listening.

‘Hamas is a brutal Jihadist regime. You cannot say you stand for women and not condemn the rape of Israeli women.’

Her next point is so unpopular with the crowd that she is forced to pause and wait until the din dies down to restart her sentence.

‘You cannot say you support for queer people and not condemn Hamas who take a Sharia law view of gay people and suggest they should be thrown off buildings,’ she said.

‘You cannot support human rights and not support a radical jihadist terrorist regime that has caused the death of these Palestinians and Israelis as well.’

With her speaking time elapsed, Ms Leach defiantly unfurled an Israeli flag and carried it up the auditorium steps to her seat while the crowd continued to jeer. 

Pro-Israel lobby group the Australian Jewish Association posted the footage to X.

‘Terrorist-supporting students were cheering for the atrocities of Hamas and laughing,’ the Association said.

‘A Motion calling for the destruction of the Jewish state passed. 

‘The University of Sydney has fallen. It is no longer safe for Jewish students. The weakness of Vice-Chancellor Mark Scott has caused this.’

Sydney University Professor Emeritus of International Relations Colin Wight replied to the tweet.   

‘Incredibly brave. Do you have details of the motions passed, and by who (the students union),’ he wrote.

Despite an extremely hostile crowd, Sydney University student Freya Leach spoke passionately about condemning Hamas atrocities

‘I’m an Emeritus Professor at the University of Sydney, and if I think the motions cross the line, I’ll write to Mark (not that I expect him to listen). 

‘However, I’m also a strong supporter of academic freedom, so it depends how the motions are worded.’

Sydney University put out a statement following the meeting saying it ‘unequivocally condemns violence, terrorism, and any violations of human rights’.

The university stated ‘less than one percent of our student population attended the SRC meeting’ and were independent from university’s administration.

‘The University is investigating reports of inappropriate conduct at the meeting, and has sought police advice on the legality of certain material used to promote the event,’ the statement said.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Education Professor Joanne Wright has written to the meeting’s organisers to ‘remind them of their obligations to abide by the institution’s code of conduct’, according to the statement.

However, the student council hit back strongly with a statement posted to its Facebook page accusing the university of ‘hypocrisy’ as well as ‘denigration’ and slander’ of the democratic meeting.

‘An overwhelming majority voted for the motion demanding the university end its ties to weapons companies involved in the genocide in Gaza and the university’s ties to Israeli universities that have a proven track record of collaboration with the Israeli Defence Force that operate on stolen Palestinian land,’ the statement said.

‘It was a historic show of opposition by the student body to the complicity of our university in the genocide that is occurring in Gaza.’

The Council claimed the meeting was the largest such one in ‘decades’.

‘The (Sydney University) statement does not acknowledge the record number of students who attended, nor does it respond to the widespread objections to the university’s ties to Israel,’ the post said.

The students also claimed the university had not substantiated ‘any of its allegations of breaches of university policy or law with evidence’.

‘This is an attempt to cast aspersions on what was a peaceful, democratic event,’ the Council said, also accusing the university of threatening the independence of the student body and questioning their right to comment on it.