Writers' festival in Australia hit by boycotts over censorship, prohibitions of Israel criticism

By Saadet Gokce

ISTANBUL (AA) - More than a dozen authors and the entire curatorial team have pulled out of an Australian writers’ festival over alleged censorship of discussions on Palestine.

Palestinian author Randa Abdel-Fattah, poet and Overland editor Evelyn Araluen, novelist Claire G. Coleman, journalists Jess Hill and Paul Daley, authors Kate Mildenhall and Jeanine Leane, and Professor Clare Wright are among those who withdrew from the Bendigo Writers’ Festival after being asked to sign a code of conduct that would limit criticism of Israel, according to Deepcut News.

The festival takes place from Thursday to Sunday in Bendigo, a city in the southeastern state of Victoria.

The festival's code of conduct, which was sent out to participants on Wednesday, asked them to "avoid language or topics that could be considered inflammatory, divisive, or disrespectful," as well as avoid public comment or social media posts "that could harm the festival's reputation or cause public concern."

It said the speakers would comply "with the principles espoused in La Trobe (University's) Anti-Racism Plan, including the definitions of antisemitism and Islamophobia in the Plan," which equates criticism of Israel to antisemitism "when it calls for the elimination of the State of Israel” and says “for most, but not all Jewish Australians, Zionism is a core part of their Jewish identity."

La Trobe University is a presenting partner, while Wright, a professor at the university who was going to serve as the co-curator, has also withdrawn due to censorship concerns.

The working definition was adopted by 39 university vice-chancellors in February.