University of Melbourne Expels Students Over Pro-Palestine Protest

Four University of Melbourne students face disciplinary actions, with two recommended for expulsion and two for suspension following a pro-Palestine sit-in at an academic's office in October 2024. The protest targeted the university's joint programs with Israeli institutions, part of a broader boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement. The university's vice-chancellor Emma Johnston emphasized the need to protect the safety of students and staff while respecting protest rights, with final decisions pending appeals. Student groups and activists condemned the expulsions as an authoritarian crackdown on free speech, labeling the disciplinary process as opaque and unjust. This marks the first enforcement of suspension and expulsion against pro-Palestine activists in Australia since the 2023 Gaza protests. Critics accuse the university of a McCarthyist approach, while the students maintain their protest was peaceful and political in nature.