The ANU has warned students at the pro-Palestine encampment on the campus that they may be breaking university rules.
In an individual written message to each protester by name, deputy vice-chancellor Grady Venville said: "I am informally letting you know that I have received multiple reports and complaints that the encampment in which you are participating and your behaviours are potentially in breach of the student code of conduct.
"The encampment is dividing our community and causing members of our community harm. I urge you to reflect on your behaviours and consider how you can respectfully protest without causing harm to other members of our community and to our campus."
The implication is that if a protestor breaks the ANU student code of conduct, they could be disciplined.
And ANU president Professor Genevieve Bell wrote: "I want to be clear that ANU does not support or endorse the terrorist organisation, Hamas. We condemn the atrocities committed on 7 October 2023."
Hamas committed the October 7 massacre of more than a thousand people in Israel. A UN report said some victims were also raped. The Australian government has deemed Hamas a terrorist organisation.
Jewish students at the university have complained that they felt unsafe because of the chanting of anti-Israel slogans and also demonstrations of out-and-out anti-Semitism.
The toughening of the university's stance comes as the student who went on the radio and supported Hamas "unconditionally" is to face a university disciplinary hearing next week.
Arts student Beatrice Tucker said on the ABC: "Hamas deserves our unconditional support."
Since then, she has been banned from campus and will face a formal disciplinary hearing next Tuesday.
Penalties for breaching the ANU Student Code of Conduct range from temporary "denial of access" to the university and its teaching and exams up to full expulsion.
The ANU was not disclosing details of the disciplinary hearing. "ANU can confirm appropriate disciplinary action is being taken in this case," a spokesperson said.
After the controversial radio interview, ANU Deputy Vice-Chancellor Grady Venville said, "If any speech or actions discriminate or violate our code of conduct or Australian laws, we will take disciplinary action."
The interview was with two ANU students including Beatrice Tucker. The other seemed to endorse the support for Hamas but has since been reported as backtracking on unconditional support.
The ANU, like other universities across the English-speaking world, has been wrestling with how to deal with the pro-Palestine camps on its campus.
One group which backs the protest camp expressed its support for Beatrice Tucker. "Students and Staff Against War ANU" which has 90 Facebook followers has organised a petition.
"We, the undersigned, unequivocally stand in solidarity with Beatrice Tucker and another student as they face threats of repression in the form of disciplinary action from the ANU," the group said.
Separately, ANU authorities are also investigating whether a student from Indonesia broke its rules when she allegedly mimicked Hitler by putting her finger across her upper lip.
Jewish students said that it was clearly an anti-Semitic gesture, and one made in a public meeting which included Jewish people.
Maya Grynberg of the Australasian Union of Jewish Students in the ACT said, "It was very clear that it was malicious".
Student Mia Kline said, "It's very scary for us when you see something like that in a meeting which is meant to be very democratic."
Meanwhile, the ANU and seven other prestigious universities in Australia (known as the Group Of Eight) sought the advice of Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus on what constitutes anti-Semitic phrases in chants at demonstrations.
At the Canberra protest, for example, people chant "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free". This implies the dismantling of Israel as it currently is.
If the legal advice was that the phrases were anti-Semitic, the universities "would act immediately to prevent the use of these phrases on campus," the letter said.
But Mr Dreyfus declined to give specific advice. "A person aggrieved by an alleged act of racial discrimination can make a complaint to the Australian Human Rights Commission," he wrote back to the universities.
