To the C&S Council– Re: Affirm the C&S decision to deregister Socialist Alternative at Monash University, in the best interests of all students, for their discrimination against a group of Jewish students

We the undersigned commend the Clubs & Societies executive for finally standing up to the Monash chapter of the organised national group Socialist Alternative and for helping to protect students from bullying, intimidation, harassment and discrimination on campus.

We call on the Clubs & Societies Council to affirm and uphold its decision to deregister Socialist Alternative at Monash University and put an end to SA’s student-funded disruptive behaviour and destructive influence on the multicultural harmony of students on campus.

We support Clubs & Societies’ decision, based on all available evidence, to determine that SA acted in contravention of the regulations it signed up to when it affiliated to C&S. They found that Socialist Alternative did indeed breach those regulations when it denied entry to a group of Jewish students and one staff member who attempted to enter an SA lecture event, because they did not wish to sign a petition condemning alleged "Israeli war crimes". Even after some offered to sign the petition, they were denied entry. This was in breach of s 7.1.1 of the C&S Constitution. C&S reports that SA did not deny this occurred.

We dismiss SA’s irrelevant and ridiculous conspiracy theory accusing C&S of being involved in a grand conspiracy involving Christopher Pyne & AUJS. We support the right to free speech but not the ability to discriminate against students on the basis of their race, religion, background, cultural heritage, ethnicity or political beliefs.

We note SA's attempt to deny the reason for their deregistration, despite admitting discrimination took place in the hearing and in public, shows no remorse and in fact suggests that they view such discrimination as legitimate.

We maintain that Universities should be a place of open and free debate and of the right to learn and pursue knowledge. That Jewish students were denied entry to this event because their ethnic, cultural and political identity was incompatible with a biased petition should not be acceptable and we affirm C&S to set its own regulations for the benefits of affiliation.

We finally note the irony that SA is claiming its speech is being suppressed because of its political beliefs when, in fact, SA was disaffiliated from C&S precisely because SA was discriminating against students because of their beliefs.

We thank C&S for finally taking a stand against SA and call on C&S to affirm its decision and send a message that the rights of all students to be treated equally with respect for their beliefs, cultural background & their personal space are more important than SA’s rights to use C&S funding to bully other students.