Pro-Palestine Protestors at University of Melbourne crossed a line, say officials

Gaza war: The pro-Palestine protests that started from the US campuses spread to other countries including the UK, France, and Australia. The University of Melbourne in Australia saw massive protests amid the ongoing Israel and Gaza war.

Pro-Palestine protest in Australia: After the demonstrators at the University of Melbourne occupied a building, the university officials said that the protestors had “crossed a line” by disrupting classes for thousands of students.

University’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor Michael Wesley said in a video message shared to media, “Students have a right to protest but that is not a blank check.” 

“They have crossed a line when they have occupied the Arts West building … the university’s patience is now at an end," added Michael Wesley's statement. The protestors have been threatened with “disciplinary action and police action”, as reported by The Guardian.

“If those codes of conduct are contravened, as they have been now, the people who are carrying them out will face disciplinary action and police action, if necessary. We are in ongoing discussions with the police. They are advising us about how we keep this situation under control and they are giving us advice about how we might move forward to end the protests in the occupation,” Wesley added.

Over 5,000 students and staff had been affected by the ongoing disruption, and 150 classes rescheduled, said a spokesperson of the University of Melbourne.

University of Melbourne students to continue protest

Following are some of the messages circulating on the X platform related to the ongoing protests at the University of Melbourne:

"JUST IN: University of Melbourne students have vowed to continue their protests inside the Arts West building after a meeting with university leadership failed to reach agreement this afternoon," reads a message on the X platform.

"University’s warning as students occupy ‘Mahmoud Hall’Pro-Palestinian students have taken over a University of Melbourne building, forcing classes to be cancelled and triggering uni chiefs to threaten that police may be called in. Getting worse. Ban these protests," says another message on the X platform.

"The University of Melbourne is a public institution not a private one. Protestors are students of the university and pay the same fees that everyone else does. They have a right to protest on their own campus, and utilise their own freedom of speech on university matters," said another message.

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