UNSW academic subjected to Nazi salutes in class, antisemitism commission hears

A UNSW academic has told the royal commission on antisemitism and social cohesion he was subjected to Nazi salutes while in class. Photograph: Lico2020/Getty Images/iStockphoto View image in fullscreen A UNSW academic has told the royal commission on antisemitism and social cohesion he was subjected to Nazi salutes while in class. Photograph: Lico2020/Getty Images/iStockphoto UNSW academic subjected to Nazi salutes in class, antisemitism commission hears Royal commission on antisemitism and social cohesion hears lived experiences of Jewish students and academics Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast An academic at UNSW was subjected to Nazi salutes by students in his business class, the royal commission into antisemitism and social cohesion has heard. The fourth block of hearings, taking place in Melbourne this week, is examining the lived experiences of Jewish students and academics, including the response of universities to combat hate. The royal commissioner Virginia Bell AC SC, noted Jewish witnesses had been subjected to “ugly antisemitic attacks” after giving evidence of their experiences of antisemitism in earlier hearings, which has led to an AFP referral and charges . Four academics and students are giving evidence under a pseudonym on Monday. One of them, referred to as ACJ, said four students performed Nazi salutes towards him during a business class for international students in 2024. Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email The tutor and PhD candidate at UNSW said “my grandparents had survived the Holocaust, the Nazis … murdered a huge proportion of my family … And so when someone does a Nazi salute at me it feels like they want to kill me.” He said he wasn’t certain the students knew he was Jewish, but that their behaviour seemed clearly directed. The academic reached out to his supervisors, noting it was a crime and that he intended to go to the police. He said students were initially issued a formal warning and later suspended after NSW Police carried out an investigation. Another witness, appearing as Liat, moved to Canberra in 2022 to study at the Australian National University (ANU) and describes herself as proudly Zionist, with both her parents born in Israel. After the 7 October 2023 terrorist attack, she said she lost the vast majority of her non-Jewish friends, including being told at a university event “we’re not friends any more, you’re a Zionist”. “I was very taken aback and deeply hurt … The majority of the people who were my friends at the time just stopped talking to me entirely,” she said. She described an escalation of antisemitism on campus after 2023, including being called a “baby killer” and “genocide supporter” by students who were part of ANU’s pro-Palestine encampment. Liat said it was possible to critique Israel without being antisemitic but she hadn’t seen “examples that accuse Israel of doing things without playing on those