The University of Sydney has taken down a Palestinian flag from an academic’s office window, sparking questions around its new policy on flag displays and academic freedom on campus.
Dr David Brophy, a senior lecturer in modern Chinese history, arrived at his office earlier this week to find his Palestinian flag missing. Brophy wrote on social media, “At some time on Monday night, or yesterday morning, certain people unknown to me, without any sort of communication with me, entered my office and removed my Palestinian flag.”
The flag had been hanging from the external window of the A18 Brennan MacCallum building.
A few days before, Brophy had received an email from Professor Lisa Adkins, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, letting him know the university was aware of the flag and believed it did not comply with their recently updated flag policy, The Guardian reports.
“We consider that the ongoing display of the flag is inconsistent with clause 2.8(1) of the Policy which confirms that unapproved flags can be displayed in such areas on a temporary basis only,” Adkins wrote to Brophy on June 26, instructing him to remove the flag by August 4 or it would be taken down by staff.
According to the university’s 13-page flag policy, which was revised in June 2025, only approved flags can be flown permanently and any that are “inconsistent with university values” or considered political are not allowed without official sign-off.
The policy notes that flags cannot be displayed from university infrastructure — including windows — without approval from the university’s brand team, and says that “no structure or fixture may be attached to any building to allow a flag to be displayed without approval”.
After getting the email, Brophy reportedly emailed Adkins and the vice-chancellor, Professor Mark Scott, saying he would not take the flag down: “I go through the day now with gruesome images of emaciated children running through my mind. At a time like this, ethical obligations far outweigh any ad hoc institutional policies, particularly those transparently aimed at stifling opposition to an ongoing genocide. I’d like you both to reflect on the moral weight of what you’re doing and withdraw the instructions to remove the flag.”
Brophy told Guardian Australia he’s had no direct explanation as to why his flag was an issue, and was not given further information before the flag was removed. He’s since filed a lost property report, adding: “I’d like to think the outer facing window of an office at a university was a place where some kind of display of opinion was still possible. But the whole flag policy was introduced precisely in response to people like me hanging Palestinian flags … they’re hiding behind their policy to justify the action.”
Brophy wrote on his Facebook page, “Remember, when we talk about solidarity with Palestine, we’re talking about basic human instincts: sympathy with starving children, with victims of a barbaric bombing campaign, outrage at the systemic erasure of education and culture, at the deliberate strangling of an entire society.
“What they don’t seem to appreciate, though, is what is now bubbling up to the surface, and what we saw in the enormous march on Sunday — a march that made news around the world and drew those very moving responses from people in Palestine that I’m sure you’ve all seen.”
The university said in a public statement, “We have not banned Palestine flags from campus. A flag hanging out of a University office window was removed because, under our flag policy, unapproved flags of any kind can only be flown from university infrastructure on a temporary basis.”
A USyd spokesperson clarified to PEDESTRIAN.TV, “The staff member who displayed the full-sized flag was advised four weeks beforehand that he could continue to display the flag in a non-shared internal space such as an office, or apply for approval to display the flag externally. The flag is being held safely for collection.
“A flag hanging out of a University office window was removed because, under our flag policy, unapproved flags of any kind can only be flown from University infrastructure on a temporary basis.
“We expect Palestinian flags to continue to feature on our campus, including as part of [today’s] planned National Student Strike for Palestine.”
This incident comes after USyd updated its protests and flags policies earlier this year in February, following criticism about how protests were managed and concerns from Jewish student groups about campus safety and antisemitism.
As for Brophy, he’s still waiting for a reply from the university, and for a clear answer on whether showing political opinion in a university office is really off-limits.
Brophy also wrote on his Facebook page that although his “flag has come down, three more have gone up”.
The university, meanwhile, insists the flag policy is about fair and safe use of its spaces — not about any specific symbol or political message.
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