Beatrice Tucker (right) announced the news of the decision via their Instagram account. Photo: Beatrice Tucker.
A student expelled from the Australian National University (ANU) for expressing support for Hamas during a radio interview has reportedly been allowed back on campus after what the student describes as “four long fighting months”.
Beatrice Tucker was expelled from the ANU in May this year for comments they made during an ABC radio interview in late April.
When asked if they wanted to send a message to Hamas for its attack on Israel on 7 October, Beatrice said, “I actually say Hamas deserves our unconditional support”.
“Not because I agree with their strategy – complete disagreement with that – but the situation at hand is if you have no hope … nothing can justify what has been happening to the Palestinian people for 75 years.”
Hamas, a designated terrorist organisation, killed more than 1200 Israelis in brutal attacks on 7 October and took hundreds more hostage, including children. Its members have since killed several of the hostages.
Beatrice’s comments accompanied a wave of pro-Palestinian rallies and a ‘Gaza Solidary Encampment’ on the ANU campus.
The ANU subsequently fronted a Senate estimate hearing for its handling of these protests, where Vice-Chancellor Genevieve Bell confirmed two students had been expelled for “significant violations of the code of conduct”, and a further 10 were subject to disciplinary processes.
The Students and Staff Against War (SSAW) group, of which Beatrice was a member, described the action as an “unprecedented, severe punishment to students exercising their academic freedom”.
Various pro-Palestine student activist groups have held rallies on the campus since early this year. Photo: Supplied.
This week, Beatrice took to social media to announce the expulsion had been reversed.
“Guess who got to step onto ANU campus today after four long fighting months?” they wrote.
“My expulsion has been overturned babeeyyyy!
“To those comrades who saw my expulsion as the end, who didn’t see we could fight against it, I say; dare to struggle, dare to hope, we can win bigger and better than you might think.”
The ANU wouldn’t confirm the decision, saying it “does not comment on specific disciplinary matters”.
“However, the university takes seriously any alleged behaviour or speech that contravenes our values as a community and which goes against our codes of conduct,” it added in a statement.
“All staff and students are free to express themselves and protest in line with the university’s academic freedom and freedom of speech policies. With these rights come responsibilities.
“As members of the ANU community, we uphold our core values including safety and wellbeing, inclusion and accountability.”
Jewish students on campus have described the news as “deeply distressing”.
In a letter addressed to the vice-chancellor, the ACT branch of the Australasian Union of Jewish Students (AUJS) has asked for the reasons behind the ANU’s decision to revoke the expulsion and “insist that the ANU take this matter further by seeking an external review”.
They have yet to receive a response.
“We believe this decision by the university will encourage further antisemitism on campus as it communicates to students that there are no real consequences for professing unequivocal support for a listed terrorist organisation,” ACT co-president Mia Kline told Region.
“Additionally, the university has shown a lack of strength in combatting the glorification of violence on campus by not drawing red lines through unacceptable behaviour.”
Region understands the ANU is reviewing its appeals process.
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