Over the past two weeks, students across major Australian cities have established protest encampments on university campuses. Their demonstrations are in response to Israel’s recent military offensive in Gaza. The student protesters are calling for their universities to cut all academic ties with Israel and terminate research collaborations with arms manufacturers. This move aims to exert pressure on Israel through academic and research channels in light of the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

At the University of Sydney, Australia’s oldest institution, hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered on Friday, facing a counter-protest in support of Israel. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported a scuffle between the two groups, however no arrests were made. This indicates a less volatile atmosphere than scenes unfolding across certain campuses in the US.

Similar protest camps have been set up in Melbourne, Canberra and other Australian cities.

Due to heavy security presence, the protestors from both sides backed down in Sydney.

Addressing the situation, University of Sydney Vice Chancellor Mark Scott affirmed that there was space for both groups to express their views peacefully on the university grounds.

“They may strongly disagree with the matters that have been discussed. … We can host that conversation and we should be able to do that in a non-threatening way,” he said to ABC.

Scott added that not all the protestors were university students and expressed concerns that some of the individuals involved might not be genuinely committed to peaceful and productive engagement on the issue.

“We are working with security and police,” he said.

Despite being a longstanding ally of Israel, Australia has grown increasingly critical of Israel’s conduct in the conflict, especially after an Australian aid worker was killed in an Israeli attack last month.

At the demonstrations, protesters voiced their dissatisfaction with the Australian government’s efforts, claiming it has not done enough to push for peace in the region. They led chants against Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his administration, expressing their discontent with the government’s response to the ongoing crisis, Reuters reported.