Jewish students at the Australian National University say they were taunted with anti-Semitic slogans when they held a counter-protest against the pro-Palestinian tent encampment in the heart of the campus.
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One pro-Israel protester told The Canberra Times that she heard people saying "f--k the Jews".
Organisers of the pro-Palestinian protest camp denied vehemently that any abuse had come from them. The Canberra Times has been unable to verify the claims of anti-Semitic abuse.
But Jewish students at the ANU said that they now 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.
On Monday night, pro-Israel students gathered on the other side of the plaza, about 50 metres from the tent encampment. They carried the blue and white flag of Israel.
Slogans and counter-slogans were chanted. Neither side said there was violence - but the Jewish students said that at least one pro-Palestine protester confronted them and made out-and-out virulently anti-Semitic remarks.
At the pro-Palestine encampment, they denied they were anti-Semitic. Some protesters said they were Jewish.
One of the organisers, Beatrice Tucker, said: "ANU security ensured that both rallies were more than 50 metres apart. 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."
The reasons for the camp protest were mixed, as described by the protesters. Some people there may only have been protesting against the scale and violence of the Israeli retaliation for the massacre and hostage-taking by Hamas on October 7.
But others went further when The Canberra Times talked to them on Tuesday.
They, in effect, called for the dismantling of the current State of Israel. Frequent chants there of "from the river to the sea" are usually interpreted to mean that.
"I'm here because I'm a student, part of a collective of students, who have taken up our collective responsibility to stand in solidarity with Gaza and end our university's complicity and ties with the State of Israel, including ties with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem," organiser Beatrice Tucker said.
She also said she was protesting against the ANU having investments in arms companies of any kind, and not just those who might arm the Israel Defence Forces.
Pro-Palestine protesters said their tent encampment would stay "as long as it is good for the movement". They estimated that about 40 people slept in tents on Monday night.
"We will keep acting until we win," student of international relations and politics, Luke Manning, said.
The ANU has beefed up security around the camp.
"ANU is a place of respectful debate," a spokesperson said.
"All students and staff at ANU are covered by the University's policies of academic freedom and free speech and are free to express themselves on any issue in line with Australian law.
"ANU has been actively encouraging all members of the University to be respectful when expressing views on the current conflict.
"The University has provided additional security resources to ensure the safety of protesters and the wider ANU community.
"The University also has a wide range of support available for any member of the ANU community affected by the ongoing conflict in Gaza."
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."
