Police Yet to Receive Formal Trespass Complaint Against Pro-Palestinian Student Encampment

Victorian Police continue to monitor the situation at the University of Melbourne after three days of protests from pro-Palestinian student activists. Tents have been set up inside the Arts West building as students continued to camp on May 17 with deck chairs, masks, and signs that read: “Free Gaza”, “Zionism is racism,” and “ceasefire now.” The University’s deputy vice-chancellor, Pip Nicholson, was due to meet with pro-Palestinian protesters on May 17 afternoon to discuss the situation. Meanwhile, the activists at Melbourne University have “renamed” the building “Mahmoud’s Hall” after prospective student Mahmoud Al Haq died in Gaza. Inspired by the U.S. movement, students at tertiary institutions across Australia have set up encampments on university grounds calling for administrators to cut ties with Israel....