Squiz Today – 3 May 2024

Hundreds of people have been arrested at college campuses across the US as protests over the war in Gaza ramp up – with some turning violent. One of the biggest incidents in the past 24 hours was at UCLA in California, where pro-Palestinian protesters were attacked by pro-Israeli supporters, with multiple injuries reported and 30 arrests made. Riot police were called in, but they’ve been criticised for their “unacceptable” delayed response – including by Californian Governor Gavin Newsom. Across the country, state troopers dispersed hundreds of protesters at the University of Dallas and at the University of Arizona, and protesters began reentering Columbia University in New York after being ousted by riot police earlier in the week…

What’s this all about?

To put these protests into context, reports say they’re part of the biggest wave of US student activism since the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020. There’s a good explainer on them here, but the top line is that student protesters – many of whom are setting up camps on campuses to make their point – want a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. And you might have noticed that the protests are happening at a few of the most prestigious/wealthy universities in the US – that’s notable because the students are pushing for their colleges to cut financial ties with Israel. The other thing to note is that reports say some of the protests are being taken over/exacerbated by non-students. Dov Waxman, a professor of Israel studies at UCLA, says that’s making it hard for college administrators to manage the protests – particularly when they turn aggressive.

So what’s being done? 

UCLA’s Chancellor Gene Block says, pending an investigation, there are potential expulsions on the table for this week’s violence, and overnight, police forcibly cleared the protestors’ encampment. Other colleges are opting to negotiate with protesters – Brown University says school officials will hold a vote on divestment if protesters leave. But at a national level, the demonstrations are putting pressure on President Joe Biden – with pro-Israel politicians flagging their concern over a rise in antisemitism. To that point, the Republican-led House of Representatives yesterday voted on the bipartisan Antisemitism Awareness Act. It still needs to go to the Senate, but supporters say the bill would expand the definition of antisemitism. And although they haven’t been anywhere near the scale of the US protests, police are keeping an eye on similar rallies here in Oz – but they’ve stayed mostly civil to date.

A bandaid, not a cure

Over a thousand people gathered to farewell alleged domestic violence victim Molly Ticehurst at her funeral yesterday, as her family continues to push for changes to NSW’s bail laws for offenders. Her father Tony told mourners, “every parent wants their child to change the world, but not at this cost”. It comes as federal and state governments are facing criticism for their “bandaid” approach to Australia’s “national crisis” of men’s violence against women following Wednesday’s emergency National Cabinet meeting. A raft of measures costing about $1 billion were announced, but advocates say it’s not enough and more needs to be done to deal with violent men before they act. PM Anthony Albanese has responded to the criticism, saying “it’s not job done” and “governments are determined to take action”.

Another day, another data breach

Hundreds of thousands of people in NSW/ACT have been told to get new ID documents after it was revealed at least 17 clubs and pubs have been affected by a data breach. Police have arrested a 46yo Fairfield man over the breach, in which more than one million records were allegedly published on an “unauthorised website”, and reports say he’s expected to be charged with blackmail. Police claim the data included driver’s licences and personal details of senior government figures, including those of NSW Premier Chris Minns. ClubsNSW says IT provider Outabox which is used for front-of-venue sign-in systems is investigating how the “cybersecurity incident” happened. The NSW government is urging venues to “notify patrons” affected as NSW Police investigate. Cyber-security experts say “it’s a little bit Optus all over again” and they’ve criticised the amount of personal data businesses collect.

If you’re concerned your personal info may have been leaked, contact ID Support for help.

Settling the Solomons’ PM

The Solomon Islands’ new PM Jeremiah Manele says Australia and China are “equally” important to his Pacific nation. Voters elected MPs across the country on 17 April, but the PM was selected by elected representatives in a poll yesterday. Manele is an ally of the former leader Manasseh Sogavare and was elected by Parliament 31-18 votes, defeating Opposition Leader Matthew Wales. While Manele was Foreign Minister in the previous government, ANU Professor Graeme Smith expects he’ll take a less confrontational approach to Australia, saying “it will definitely lower the temperature”. Former PM Sogavare caused a huge diplomatic stir by signing a security agreement with Beijing in 2022. And while Manele says he’ll be keeping that agreement in place – he’s promised a foreign policy of “friends to all, enemies to none”.

Matildas’ Olympics curse continues

We wish we could say it isn’t so, but young gun Amy Sayers is the latest Aussie soccer star to be ruled out of the Paris Olympics with a bad injury. Sayers ruptured her ACL (the tissue that connects your thigh to your shin) playing for her Swedish club side on the weekend and might be on the sidelines for the rest of the year. She joins a growing list of Matildas in doubt for Paris – with Sam Kerr still recovering from ACL surgery, Katrina Gorry carrying an ankle injury, and defender Clare Hunt suffering a stress fracture. That’s on top of Aivi Luik, Emily Gielnik and Chloe Logarzo, who are also battling injuries. But cause we wanna look on the bright side – let’s cross our fingers for fellow Tillies Mary Fowler and Alanna Kennedy – their other team, Manchester City, is inches away from taking out the prestigious English Super League…  

I’m ready for my close-up

If you’ve always dreamt of climbing into your favourite movie (not in a scary The Ring way) now you can, as Airbnb has launched its new Icons collection – a series of very bougie accommodation options inspired by the silver screen. For the young at heart, stepping into a replica of the house from animated tear-jerker Up could be a top choice, but note while it does appear to be lifted by balloons, you’ll actually be suspended by a large crane overnight… For something a little more retro, you can stay in the house from Prince’s movie Purple Rain and “go crazy for rare and special tracks… in an exclusive studio session.” Or for Marvel fanatics, there’s a 2D version of the X-Men X-Mansion in New York designed to make you feel like you’ve just leapt into the pages of the 1997 comic… Something for everyone.

Speaking of movies, no one is a bigger buff than protagonist John Sugar, played by Colin Farrell in the new Apple TV+ detective series Sugar… It’s all a bit film noir, and we’re into it. Plus, with episodes lasting only 30 minutes, it’s a quick late-night entertainment fix…

If you’re staying in for a spot of online shopping this weekend, may we recommend this News Club interview with the Australian Financial Review’s fashion editor Lauren Sams about the rise of ultra-fast fashion. She also gives us an update on her commitment to not buy clothes for a whole year…

With the weather outside a tad frightful for much of Oz this week, we are keen for a cozy pick-me-up and this recipe for apple cinnamon crumb muffins is an excellent go-to. And according to Squiz HQ’s Ellie, “the crumb top is elite”. You can’t argue with that.

9.40am (ACST) – Penny Wong to host German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock as she returns indigenous heritage items to the Kaurna people from the Grassi Museum in Leipzig – Adelaide

Orthodox Good Friday

National Space Day

Wild Koala Day 

World Press Freedom Day  

Anniversary of:

• New Zealand being proclaimed a colony independent of New South Wales (1841)
• Margaret Mitchell winning the Pulitzer Prize for Gone With the Wind (1937)
• the disappearance of Madeleine McCann (2007)