University hit with BOMBSHELL lawsuit over antisemitism amid staff scandal
A landmark legal case has been filed against the University of Sydney, accusing it of enabling antisemitism in the wake of the October 7 attacks.
A class action has been launched in the Federal Court against the University of Sydney, along with two of its high-profile anti-Israel academics, over alleged antisemitic conduct and campus culture following the Hamas terror attacks on October 7.
Legal action, brought by Jewish students and staff, names academics Nick Riemer and John Keane. The lawsuit follows a terminated Human Rights Commission complaint and marks a significant step in the fight against what applicants say is hate speech cloaked as free speech.
On October 8, a day after Hamas terrorists murdered over 1,200 people and took 240 hostages, Riemer tweeted: "No progressive should feel the need to publicly condemn any choices by the Palestinian resistance … doing so just adds to the perception that their cause is unjust."
Not a good time for Friends of Hamas at Sydney University. The same week Fahad Ali suicide bombed his career, academic and Israel hater Nick Riemer is now being sued.
— Daniel (@VoteLewko) June 14, 2025
When he's not calling for the total destruction of the Jewish state and encouraging young students to spend… https://t.co/7QR0HlPbgq pic.twitter.com/XUoGqM33kj
Keane, on the same day, reportedly posted an image of green flags resembling those used by Hamas. He later denied the implication, calling the claim “absurd” and insisting they were merely “green flags”.
Radical far-left activism has taken hold at the university, where Christian pastor Mark Leach and his daughter Freya were recently subjected to vile abuse.
Lawyer Hamish Rotstein, managing director of Rotstein Commercial Lawyers, called the case “a significant move to confront the growing issue of hate speech on university campuses.”
“This case is about ensuring that universities remain places of open intellectual discussion while safeguarding individuals against harmful rhetoric,” Rotstein said.
Explaining why he posted Hamas flags to Twitter on October 7, University of Sydney Professor John Keane defends the “sacred viridescence” of the Hamas flag as an expression of “yearnings for paradise.” Truly beautiful insight into the mind of a posh academic working to… pic.twitter.com/yKhAxSBDil
— Drew Pavlou 🇦🇺🇺🇦🇹🇼 (@DrewPavlou) November 30, 2023
Among those filing the lawsuit are Professor Emeritus Suzanne Rutland and honorary associate John Toltz. The group is represented by barristers Adam Butt and Saul Holt KC. Butt previously won a landmark antisemitism case in 2023 on behalf of Jewish students at Brighton Secondary College.
One of the main pro-Palestine leaders in Australia just called for the mass executions of Jews.
— Drew Pavlou 🇦🇺🇺🇦🇹🇼 (@DrewPavlou) June 13, 2025
Should Fahad Ali live in Australia? Should we let him stay in our country while acting like this? pic.twitter.com/Na8uZfT7he
The university is now facing further controversy after standing down academic Fahad Ali for posting on X: “F*** sanctions, I want Zionists executed like we executed Nazis.” The post, flagged for violent speech, was later defended by Ali who posted: “Don't tell me wanting to see these people hanged like the Nazis were post-Nuremberg is ‘violent’."
This is Fahad Ali within 48 hours of October 7 and before Israel had even set foot in Gaza. pic.twitter.com/V2BpyPR1CB
— Daniel (@VoteLewko) June 13, 2025
The university confirmed Ali’s suspension and said it is conducting a formal investigation. Ali, a Palestinian activist, has a history of anti-Israel activism and was previously cleared of misconduct in 2015 after disrupting a speech by a former British Army colonel.
Sydney Uni has come under fire for its handling of other controversial staff posts, including one in which a lecturer said he would "forgive the sentiment" of Palestinians wishing death on Jews. Despite police referrals, the university has repeatedly said it cannot discipline staff for statements made in a “personal capacity”.
Vice-Chancellor Mark Scott last year apologised to Jewish students over his handling of a pro-Palestinian encampment, acknowledging the university had “failed them.”
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