As the Federal Government pursues a ban on Nazi symbols, new research shows the disturbing levels of antisemitism facing young people, both on campus and online.
New research shows widespread antisemitism in universities and online.
Zac Morris was sitting in a tutorial a few weeks into his first semester at university, about to suggest what to do next, when a classmate interrupted.
“Someone in the group I’d met maybe a few weeks before just goes, ‘We’re gonna kill the Jews’,” Mr Morris, now in his fifth year, remembers.
“It did feel quite intense, being in that situation as an 18, 19-year-old, and having someone advocate for your people’s genocide as a joke.”
New research shows the disturbing levels of antisemitism faced by young people, both on campus and online.
According to a survey of more than 500 Jewish students, commissioned by the Zionist Federation of Australia and the Australasian Union of Jewish Students (AUJS), more than two-thirds of respondents had experienced antisemitism at university.
More than half said they had hidden their Jewish identity.
“Many of my friends I know will hide things or won’t wear Jewish jewellery or identifiers,” Mr Morris says. “All it takes is one person to ruin your day or worse”.
Patrick Begley reports on 7.30 and this story is available from ABC News.