Anti-censorship boycott leaves Bendigo Writers Festival in tatters
More than a third of the Festival's lineup has withdrawn over restrictions on criticising Israel
The Bendigo Writers Festival is in disarray, with a wave of speakers boycotting the event over concerns the Festival's code of conduct restricts participants from criticising Israel or discussing the genocide in Gaza.
More than a third of the Festival's lineup has withdrawn or resigned in protest after participants were asked to sign a code of conduct stipulating they "avoid language or topics that could be considered inflammatory, divisive, or disrespectful" and adhere to a La Trobe University policy that controversially lists criticism of Israel as an example of antisemitism.
The boycott has decimated the Festival's three-day program, which began this morning. At the time of publication, at least 20 of the Festival's original 71 planned events have either been cancelled or lost speakers. (A full list can be found below.)
"Bendigo Writers Festival is committed to holding an event that engages in respectful debate, open minded discussion, and explores topical and complex issues," the Festival said in a statement yesterday.
"For those participants making the choice to withdraw due to introducing a Code of Conduct, we respect their decision and thank them for their initial willingness to be part of the Festival."
Mass withdrawals and cancellations
Thirty-four speakers and presenters from the Festival's original 93-person lineup have pulled out in protest since Wednesday, including Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah, Rachel Ang, Evelyn Araluen, Jonathan Butler, Tara Calaby, Bernard Caleo, Melanie Cheng, Claire G Coleman, Amanda Collins, Liz Conor, Jaclyn Crupi, Paul Daley, Dr Kristin Ferguson, Sarah Firth, Kelly Gardiner, Madison Griffiths, Fiona Hardy, Jess Hill, Daniel James, Kate Larsen, Jacinta Le Plastrier, Jeanine Leane, Thomas Mayo, Ita Mehrotra, Kate Mildenhall, Kylie Mirmohamadi, David Munro, Sonia Orchard, Jock Serong, Fiona Stanley, Cher Tan, Michelle Scott Tucker, Prof. Clare Wright and Grace Yee.
At the time of writing, the names and images of the boycotting writers are still featured on the Festival's website and social media channels, although comments have been turned off on the Festival's Instagram and Facebook posts.
The boycott has forced the formal cancellation of at least 12 Festival events so far, including tonight's opening gala with Fiona Stanley, Paul Daley and Richard Denniss and Sunday night's planned final session featuring Jeanine Leane, Claire G Coleman, Dr Clare Wright and author Robert Dessaix.
The Festival's planned suite of events curated with La Trobe University – the Festival's presenting partner – has been almost entirely axed. Of the nine scheduled La Trobe sessions, only one is still going ahead. Wright, who has resigned from the Festival's curatorial team, was slated to curate the La Trobe Presents sessions.
At the time of publication, another eight events were still listed on the Festival's website as going ahead despite featuring authors who have joined the boycott.
"As a sponsor of the Bendigo Writers Festival, which is hosted by the City of Greater Bendigo, La Trobe University expects the BWF to have measures in place to ensure respectful exchange of views as well as community safety," the university said in a statement yesterday.
"La Trobe University does not tolerate racism of any kind, including antisemitism and Islamophobia, and has adopted the Universities Australia (UA) working definition of antisemitism, along with all other Australian universities.
[Note: this is incorrect. While the vice-chancellors of all 39 Australian universities pledged to adopt the UA definition in February, several major universities have either declined to adopt the working definition or have postponed the decision to undertake consultation.]
"La Trobe’s approach to combatting racism is consistent with our commitment to academic freedom and freedom of speech."
'This is a very sad day'
Many of the boycott participants have published their letters of withdrawal to the Festival. In a letter to City of Greater Bendigo venues and arts manager Julie Amos, Coleman said she "cannot appear at a festival that is attempting to compel or censor my speech".
"The way you have handled this is disturbing. You are working with writers, authors and artists, many of whom are people of colour and/or Indigenous," Coleman said. "I respectfully ask you to do better in future, to consider that to many writers our freedom of speech is more important than any festival."
Writer Sonia Orchard told the Festival she was withdrawing "in order to show my solidarity with Palestinian writers, who will naturally feel silenced and and their trauma dismissed by the code of conduct document".
"I have been asked to speak at the festival on a topic about stopping violence against women and children, and it feels impossible to do this while knowing that the university has chosen to align itself with ideas and factions that condone such large scale violence against women and children," Orchard said.
In a group statement, Kate Larsen, Cher Tan and Madison Griffiths – who were slated to host a discussion of the novel Looking at Women Looking at War by the late Ukrainian writer Victoria Amelina – said "we feel unable to participate in a framework that restricts authors’ freedom of expression, particularly given the subject of our panel was to be about writing and war crimes, rights and resistance".
"It is utterly unacceptable to ask authors, illustrators and journalists to self-censor and avoid controversial topics," Kelly Gardiner said in her withdrawal letter. "Any attempt to prevent people talking about the genocide in Gaza at this moment in history, in particular, is outrageous."
"I'm very sorry it has come to this. I love the festival and I love La Trobe, and this is a very sad day."
Festival doubles down
The backlash against the Festival is now spreading well beyond its lineup. More than 200 Australian authors have signed a statement by activist group Readers and Writers Against the Genocide expressing solidarity with the boycott and calling the code of conduct "a blueprint for self-censorship and silencing dissent".
Local political group Free Palestine Central Victoria and the Bendigo and Ballarat branches of the Victorian Socialists are also planning a rally in support of the boycott this afternoon in the Bendigo CBD.
Despite the backlash, the Festival has reiterated its commitment to the code of conduct and expectation that Festival participants abide by La Trobe's policy.
In an email to Festival stakeholders seen by Deepcut, Amos downplayed the boycott and defended the code of conduct as "intended to emphasise the importance of safety and wellbeing for all participants".
"We are experiencing a small number of authors withdrawing due to illness and separately due to expectations outlined in a Code of Conduct for this year's Festival," Amos said in the email.
"Canberra Writers Festival, Margaret River Readers & Writers Festival, Australian Short Story Festival and National Young Writers Festival all have Codes of Conduct."
See below for a list of Bendigo Writers Festival events which have either been cancelled or from which at least one speaker has withdrawn in protest. The Festival website states that automatic refunds are being processed for cancelled events.
Cancelled events
Opening gala – La Trobe Presents Game On feat. Fiona Stanley, Richard Denniss and Paul Daley
Closing event – La Trobe Presents On Second Thoughts feat. Robert Dessaix, Jeanine Leane, Claire G Coleman and Clare Wright
La Trobe Presents On Reckonings feat. Randa Abdel-Fattah, Paul Daley and Katherine Biber
La Trobe Presents On Country feat. John Maynard, Evelyn Araluen, Clare Wright and Daniel James
La Trobe Presents Carrying On feat. Melanie Cheng, Kylie Mirmohamadi and Jock Serong
La Trobe Presents Not On feat. Jess Hill and Sonia Orchard
La Trobe Presents On The Lam feat. Kelly Gardiner, Lucy Sussex, Tara Calaby and Stephanie Downes
La Trobe Presents On Balance feat. Kristin Ferguson, Elizabeth Finkel, Toby Walsh and Andrea Carson
Lviv: Looking at Women Looking at War feat. Madison Griffiths, Cher Tan and Kate Larsen
Diving Deep with Non-fiction Graphic Narratives feat. Ita Mehrotra and Simon McKeown
Dublin: The Spinning Heart feat. Paul Daley, Bonny Cassidy and Michelle Scott Tucker
Dunedin: Liar, Liar, Lick, Spit feat. Jacinta Le Plastrier, Grace Yee and Solli Raphael
Perfected Poetry (An exploded lecture) feat. Amanda Collins and Dave Munro
Events from which at least one author has pulled out
Angouleme: World Without End feat. Bernard Caleo, Sarah Firth, Ita Mehrotra and Rachel Ang
Barcelona: The Shadow of the Wind feat. Kate Mildenhall, Alice Pung and Nathan Curnow
Edinburgh: Midnight and Blue feat. Kelly Gardiner, Jock Serong and Fiona Hardy
Fireside Chat: The Importance of Country feat. Claire G Coleman and Aunty Munya Andrews, Neane Carter
Surprise Lunchboxes and Other Core Memories feat. Jaclyn Crupi, Helly Raichura and Shannon Martinez
The Intricate World of Cookbook Publishing feat. Jaclyn Crupi and Julie Gibbs
Quebec City: Querelle of Roberval feat. Kylie Mirmohamadi, Tara Calabi and Jonathan Butler
Stories of Chinese Ancestry feat. Grace Yee and Dianne Dempsey
Robert Dessaix is Australian?