Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
Breaking News

Australian Professor Waves Cash in Jewish Colleague’s Face — Cleared of Anti-Semitism

An Australian university has cleared one of its professors of suspected anti-Semitic behavior following a protest that turned ugly, the Sydney Morning Herald reported Sunday.

The University of Sydney warned associate professor Jake Lynch – who waved money in the face of a Jewish woman at the protest – that his conduct did not “constitute anti-Semitic behavior or unlawful harassment on the grounds of an individual’s religious belief [or perceived religious belief].”

According to the Morning Herald, however, Lynch could still face dismissal or disciplinary action for possibly violating the university’s code of conduct, which calls for visitors to be treated with “with respect, impartiality, courtesy and sensitivity.”

The report says that Lynch, a proponent of the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel, got into a brawl with Diane Barkas, a Jewish lecturer and comedian after she threw water on a protestor who interrupted a speech by retired British colonel Richard Kemp, a vocal supporter of the Israeli army.

Lynch, according to the report, waved a $5 note in Barkas’ face and threatening to sue her after she allegedly kicked him in the groin. Barkas denies that charge.

Several students also face expulsion for protesting Kemp’s speech with pro-Palestinian slogans before being dragged away by security.

Nick Riemer, an English lecturer who was in the audience at the time of the protest, told the paper that Lynch was subjected to an “inquisitorial investigation, prompted by politically motivated complaints made against him by the Israeli lobby.”

Julian Kowal, of the Australasian Union of Jewish Students, told the Morning Herald that Lynch should be fired. “In so far as the money-waving actions in the face of a Jewish woman evoked strong images of historically anti-Semitic stereotypes, his actions were undoubtedly highly inappropriate,” he said.

Last year, a federal court in Australia dismissed a case by an Israeli-based NGO against Lynch, which claimed he violated the country’s anti-racism laws by calling for an academic boycott of Israel. The case was thrown out due to a technicality, not the merits of the arguments.

For more stories, go to [Haaretz.com][1] or to subscribe to Haaretz, [click here][2] and use the following promotional code for Forward readers: FWD13.

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search.  See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.