Greens leader Shane Rattenbury has called on the vice-chancellor of the Australian National University to meet with pro-Palestine campus protesters and expressed dismay over the university's decision to call in police.
Mr Rattenbury wrote to Genevieve Bell on Thursday to call on her to meet with the students, who moved their protest camp from the Kambri lawn earlier this week.
"The ACT Greens support the students' calls for the ANU to divest from companies complicit in the genocide in Palestine and, as Leader of the party, I urge the ANU to commit to this call," Mr Rattenbury wrote.
The university said protesters, who have been calling for the university to dump shares in companies linked to conflict in Gaza, had been invited to meet with Professor Bell but had so far not taken up the offer.
Student protesters are understood to be reluctant to enter the chancelry to meet with the vice-chancellor over fears of potential future disciplinary action.
A protest camp was set up on a lawn in the Kambri precinct, at the heart of the university's Acton campus, in late April. The camp followed similar encampments at universities around the globe.
The ANU said it had, on Monday, directed the protesters to move because their camp occupied an evacuation zone for nearby buildings.
After protesters refused to move, the university handed over to police, who again directed the protesters to move. The police set a deadline of noon on Tuesday, warning protesters could be arrested if they failed to move.
The camp relocated to a new site near University Avenue late on Monday night.
Mr Rattenbury, who is the Attorney-General in the ACT government, wrote he was "dismayed" to learn the university called in police and security guards on the "peaceful protesters".
"Further, this action was done without substantial notice, thereby heightening tensions and fears within the student groups. This abrupt action only served to exacerbate an already sensitive situation," he wrote.
Mr Rattenbury said the students were rightly raising the voices against the university's partnerships with "organisations complicit in the ongoing genocide in Palestine".
"Already, tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and now their military is decimating Rafah, the last refuge in Gaza. Calls to end this deadly invasion are echoing across university campuses, not just ANU," he wrote.
"Students, like so many of us, are rightly horrified by the killing of so many in this genocide, and it is only right that they would be outraged by the ANU's connections to these atrocities.
"I urge you to meet with students in good faith and commit to disclosing and divesting all ties to the genocide. I look forward to your response and hope for a positive outcome."
A spokesman for the university said Professor Bell had received the letter and would respond in due course.
"The safety of our community is our highest priority and ANU has facilitated, and continues to facilitate, safe protest on our campus," the spokesman said.
"ANU has also invited protesters to genuine and open dialogue with the Vice-Chancellor about their demands, in particular ones that the University can reasonably consider.
"This includes looking at the University's investments and socially responsible investment policy.
"So far, the protesters have not accepted these invitations. ANU will invite them to meet with the Vice-Chancellor again."
The spokesman said the university had already committed to review its investment policy.
