Palestinians in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah took to the streets in protest at the Israeli strike on Rafah
AFP

As Australian universities continue to see pro-Palestinian protests, the Opposition has sparked controversy by calling on the government to revoke the visas of foreign students allegedly involved in instances of antisemitism.

The call for action takes place amid escalating hostilities around pro-Palestinian encampments, as students urge universities to sever relations with Israeli organizations among other things.

Senator James Paterson, a liberal, sparked controversy about free speech, political involvement, and how to handle antisemitic remarks in university contexts when he indicated that joining in chants such as "from the river to the sea" should result in the revocation of visas.

"The immigration minister and the home affairs minister have very significant powers to cancel people's visas on character grounds," he said, according to SBS.

Belle Lim, the outgoing President of the Council of International Students Australia, emphasized that safeguarding students' right to free expression was essential to the educational process in Australian universities.

"While we condemn racism in no uncertain terms, including both antisemitism and Islamophobia, the Opposition should be careful not to infringe on international students' rights to free thoughts and speech, which is precisely a key reason why students pursue higher education at Australian universities," said Lim.

Pro-Palestinian activity is increasingly concentrated in Australian institutions, as students are taking a firm stand in response to the escalating turmoil. They've gone beyond protests, taking over buildings and pressuring academic institutions to cut their links to businesses that support the Israeli military.

The pro-Palestine protesters at Australian National University on Monday voted to relocate their camp down the road, following the police demand to pack it up by Tuesday noon. They protesters also condemned the university's "reckless and unjustifiable intimidation tactics."

Meanwhile, Curtin and Melbourne universities have agreed to some of the protesters' demands in order to end their encampments.

At the same time, encampments at Deakin and La Trobe universities were disbanded after the institutions warned of disciplinary action.

Adelaide University and RMIT's students also announced their would remove their camps, but continue to fight for the cause.