The Australian National University has ramped up security at the pro-Palestine camp on its campus after a demonstration and counter demonstration on Monday evening.
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After the protests, Jewish students said they had been subject to virulent anti-Semitic remarks, including "f--k the Jews". Organisers of the pro-Palestine camp vehemently denied allegations of anti-Semitism.
But two of the organisers then publicly went on the radio and defended the group which massacred and kidnapped Israelis on October 7.
"Hamas deserves our unconditional support," student Beatrice Tucker said on ABC radio.
The country's leading Jewish body then called on the ANU to "expel the students who supported Hamas and for them to face the law for doing so".
"This is a chilling insight into the minds of supposedly pro-Palestine activists and the failures of leadership and education that have enabled this," the ECAJ's chief executive Alex Ryvchin said.
The ANU said it was talking to both groups. It has increased security on the campus.
"The university is providing additional security resources on-site at Kambri to ensure the continued safety of the campus," a statement said.
"The ANU Security team is also in regular communication with police.
"The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) and ANU Security are in direct communication with a spokesperson for the protesters, in particular about safety for our community, and will continue discussions in the coming days.
"The University has also met with the Australasian Union of Jewish Students and will continue to meet with them going forward."
Since the camp was set up at the beginning of the week, Jewish students at the ANU have said that they felt "intimidated and isolated" because of the tent protest.
"We want to be proud about our Jewish identity, yet this camp and the general atmosphere around the university often force us to hide that part of ourselves in fear of our safety," a statement from the ACT branch of the Australasian Union of Jewish Students said.
"To make matters worse, this encampment exists directly in front of a student residence, Fenner Hall, making it impossible for students living there to escape the protests - it is not only where they study, but their home."
Members of the Jewish students' society said they felt betrayed by the ANU students' union "who endorse the encampment, despite the anti-Semitic messages being sent from many of the protesters".
The pro-Palestinian camp was set up in the wake of the similar but much larger camp at Columbia University in New York.
The Canberra Times has not been able to verify whether anti-Semitic taunts did come from pro-Palestine protesters.
Video of the protests show the two groups about 50 metres apart but there do appear to be a couple of people near the Jewish students. It may be that any taunt came from them and not from the main body of the pro-Palestine group.
At the pro-Palestine encampment, they denied they were anti-Semitic. Some protesters said they were Jewish.
The organiser, Beatrice Tucker, said: "It wasn't our rally or camp that made such comments.
"Our camp has a manifesto that opposes any anti-Semitism, and we welcome Jewish students to come and join the camp."
Steve Evans
Steve Evans is a reporter on The Canberra Times. He's been a BBC correspondent in New York, London, Berlin and Seoul and the sole reporter/photographer/paper deliverer on The Glen Innes Examiner in country New South Wales. "All the jobs have been fascinating - and so it continues."
Steve Evans is a reporter on The Canberra Times. He's been a BBC correspondent in New York, London, Berlin and Seoul and the sole reporter/photographer/paper deliverer on The Glen Innes Examiner in country New South Wales. "All the jobs have been fascinating - and so it continues."
