A prominent pro-Palestinian campaigner and Sydney academic has defended his actions after he was filmed telling a Jewish student that he ‘should feel uncomfortable’ during a pro-Palestine rally at a Sydney university.
Dozens of protesters attended the rally at the University of Technology (UTS) campus in Ultimo on March 26 where UNSW honorary associate professor Peter Slezak told the crowd that ‘we have a duty to make Jews uncomfortable’.
‘And that includes that fellow over there,’ Dr Slezak said, pointing to a Jewish student who had wrapped himself in an Israeli flag for the demonstration.
The clip quickly went viral on social media, prompting UTS vice chancellor Andrew Parfitt to announce an investigation into the ‘divisive rhetoric’ on university grounds.
In an interview with Daily Mail Australia, Dr Slezak attempted to clarify his comments.
‘What I mean is that Jews are… placed in an invidious position: Israel is claiming to speak on behalf of all Jews,’ he explained.
He said it was ‘appropriate’ for Jewish people to feel uncomfortable given ‘claims are being made on their behalf, and we’re talking now about a genocide’.
‘And you know the slogans that we all use? There’s two slogans. We say: “Not in our name” and we say: “silence is complicity”,’ he said.
UNSW associate professor Peter Slezak presented to a pro-Palestinian rally at the University of Technology Sydney on Wednesday, March 26 where he said: ‘Jews should feel uncomfortable’
Jewish student Daniel Melamet stood at the far end of the lawn holding an Israeli flag during the rally whom Dr Slezak referred to as ‘that fellow over there’
Dr Slezak, who himself is Jewish, began his speech at the rally by stating his mother and grandmother survived the Nazi extermination camp Auschwitz.
‘I grew up hearing their stories. So, I think I know antisemitism when I see it,’ he said.
He quoted anti-Israeli Macquarie University academic Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah who, in an interview with Mondoweiss last year said: ‘I believe in fact that it is my duty to make them [Zionists] uncomfortable.’
She continued: ‘I am quite happy for them to feel, you know, that they are not in a space where they can safely articulate that they believe that my people should be under a genocide.’
Dr Slezak said he had ‘misquoted’ Dr Abdel-Fattah in applying her quote to all Jewish people, as opposed to Zionists – people who support an independent Jewish state.
‘I really was speaking on my behalf… I slipped by attributing to her.’
‘I should have been more careful,’ he said.
UTS president of the Australasian Union of Jewish Students (AUJS) Moshe Kadoury told Daily Mail Australia Mr Slezak’s comments had been ‘distressing’.
![Dr Slezak misquoted Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah who, in an interview last year, said: 'I believe in fact that it is my duty to make them [Zionists] uncomfortable'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/04/09/07/97071397-14586079-image-a-47_1744179391106.jpg)
Dr Slezak misquoted Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah who, in an interview last year, said: ‘I believe in fact that it is my duty to make them [Zionists] uncomfortable’
‘Saying it’s your “duty to make Jews uncomfortable” isn’t activism – it’s racism.
‘There is no justification for targeting people based on their race or religion. We’re students, not political targets.
‘We just want to feel safe walking to class like everyone else. Targeting Jewish students doesn’t create dialogue – it creates fear and that has no place on any campus.’
Mr Kadoury said the student union will ‘continue to advocate for Jewish students and remind them that they are welcome on campus and should never be made to feel uncomfortable.’
Dr Slezak said he had not been contacted by the university in relation to the investigation.
A UTS spokesperson said: ‘We are unable to comment about the specifics of the investigation into concerns raised regarding the protest on campus on 26 March 2025 while the review is underway.’
After viewing receiving footage of Dr Slezak’s presentation, the Executive Council of Australian Jewry’s head of legal Simone Abel submitted a letter of complaint to UTS.
The letter, seen by Daily Mail Australia, described Dr Slezak’s conduct as ‘vilifying’.
Dr Slezak (pictured), who is himself the son of a Holocaust survivor, clarified he meant Jewish people should feel ‘uncomfortable’ about the position Israel had put them in
Ms Abel identified the student holding the Israeli flag as Jewish student Daniel Melamet.
‘[Melamet] had the traumatic experience of being jeered at last year at the rally at UNSW, where the crowd shouted “go back to Europe”, only to have recently transferred his studies to UTS, where he has again been singled out in public this way,’ wrote Ms Abel.
Dr Slezak confirmed he was not aware of who Mr Melamet was when he pointed him out during his presentation.
He told the assembled protestors at UTS that focusing on antisemitism amidst the ongoing Gaza conflict was ‘obscene’.
‘We are distracted from the horror by panic about an alleged explosion of antisemitism and concerns about Jewish safety – even though it’s been exposed as mostly bulls***.’
He added: ‘There has never been any antisemitism at our rallies, at universities or anywhere in Australia in my lifetime.’
In February, the Associated Press reported there had been a dozen arrests for ‘vandalizing or setting homes, schools, and synagogues on fire since October’.
Asked what he made of the reports, Dr Slezak said it was his understanding the Australian Federal Police (AFP) had since determined the incidents had not been motivated ‘against Jews for being Jews’.
UTS vice chancellor Andrew Parfitt said the university had initiated an investigation into ‘divisive rhetoric’ relating to the ‘conflict in Gaza’
‘I should have said that there’s negligible or hardly any, or little known cases, certainty the recent outburst of fake cases is not a basis for Jews to feel unsafe’.
Dr Slezak said: ‘Given my background, I care about antisemitism. It’s not like I’m trying to dismiss real cases. I’m trying to put it into context, into balance, where it’s used as a weapon to silence criticism of Israel.
‘I’m not interested in denying whatever the facts are. If there’s some cases of antisemitism, as I said in my speech, I’ll be the first on on the front lines combating it.
A spokesperson from the AFP rejected the claim it had categorised recent antisemitic incidents as fake.
‘Special Operation Avalite, which was established to investigate threats, violence and hatred towards the Australian Jewish community and parliamentarians, has seen numerous charges laid in relation to alleged incidents motivated by antisemitism,’ they said.
Chief executive of the Australian Jewish Association Robert Gregory told Daily Mail Australia: ‘There has been a surge of antisemitism across Australia since the October 7 attacks’.
‘Universities have been among the worst places for antisemitism. Many Jewish students have been targeted and feel isolated.
‘To see an academic join in making Jewish students uncomfortable is appalling’.
Pictured is a pro-Palestine student protest at the University of Melbourne in May 2024
Mr Gregory, who is a high-profile voice on Jewish affairs, said the Australian Jewish community ‘overwhelmingly finds the words of Dr Slezak repugnant’.
Asked to clarify his position, Dr Slezak acknowledged he ‘ought to have been a bit more careful’.
‘I accept that I should have been, again, more nuanced. I should have said there’s negligible or hardly any or little known cases, certainly the recent outburst of fake cases is not a basis for Jews to feel unsafe.’
Mr Gregory said a number of alleged incidents of antisemitism across Australia remain before the courts.
‘There have been numerous individuals arrested for vandalising or setting homes, schools and synagogues on fire.
‘While some of the perpetrators appear to have had motivations other than antisemitism, the alleged mastermind has a long history of extreme antisemitism.
‘Since the October 7 attacks, there have also been arrests where the motivation was clearly antisemitism motivated by anti-Israel extremism.
‘In addition, many antisemitic attacks, including the firebombing of the Addas Israel Synagogue remain unsolved.
‘Other antisemitic incidents such as at Bankstown Hospital are before the courts.
He added that one defendant remains before the courts charged with making antisemitic threats against his own Australian Jewish Association.
