Pro-Israel group lobbied La Trobe and Bendigo Writers Festival over Palestinian academic's inclusion
A leaked letter reveals pressure from a pro-Israel group in the lead up to the Festival
A pro-Israel academic group lobbied La Trobe University and the Bendigo Writers Festival to "implement immediate measures" concerning the inclusion of Randa Abdel-Fattah in the Festival lineup.
Abdel-Fattah, a Palestinian-Australian academic and author, was due to share a panel at the Festival to discuss her new book, 'Discipline', on Saturday. Last week the academic withdrew from the Festival, along with more than 50 participants, in response to a code of conduct distributed by organisers only days before the Festival's opening and which writers believed prohibited discussion of Israel's genocide in Gaza.
The code of conduct instructed speakers to "avoid language or topics that could be considered inflammatory, divisive, or disrespectful". It also bound participants to La Trobe University's anti-racism policy, which includes the controversial adoption of a working definition of antisemitism that encompasses criticism of Israel and Zionism, an ethnocentric nationalist ideology.
Abdel-Fattah's public withdrawal from the Festival triggered a boycott of the event by more than half its original lineup, leading to a near-total collapse of the Festival's three-day program.
Event would promote 'hatred toward Jewish people', pro-Israel group claimed
On July 21, a letter from the Australian Academic Alliance Against Antisemitism (5A) to La Trobe University's vice-chancellor, Prof. Theo Farrell, deputy vice-chancellor, Prof. Chris Pakes, and Bendigo Writers Festival organisers raised concerns "about the invitation of Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah", whom it described as "an extremist anti-Israel and antisemitic activist" and "a known racist person".
The letter, obtained by Deepcut, claimed Abdel-Fattah "perpetually dehumanises people who hold Zionist views" and poses "a direct threat to the Jewish community in Australia".
"We are concerned that the planned event will serve one purpose only – to propagate an antisemitic agenda and hatred toward Jewish people," the letter claimed.
Abdel-Fattah, who declined to comment, has been a vocal critic of Israel's actions in Gaza, where Israeli forces have killed more than 60,000 people, including at least 18,000 children. Numerous human rights organisations, UN and genocide experts have deemed Israel's conduct in Gaza a genocide.
Despite 5A claiming Abdel-Fattah posed "a direct threat to the Jewish community in Australia", the group suggested the Festival could balance Abdel-Fattah's presence at the event "with the inclusion of a representative from one of the mainstream Jewish Zionist organisations on the same panel".
5A is a group of academics and professionals from 31 universities that describes itself as "united by a shared commitment to addressing antisemitism in higher education and research". The group has been active in the push to crack down on university encampments and other on-campus expressions of support for Palestine.
In a submission to the NSW parliamentary inquiry into antisemitism earlier this year, 5A stressed "the fundamental role of anti-Zionism as a vehicle for contemporary antisemitism on NSW university campuses", citing the Sydney University Student Representative Council adopting in May "resolutions for the dismantling of the State of Israel and to end academic exchange programs with Israeli universities".
"Anti-Zionism is traditional antisemitism, disguised as wine but truly an old poison, rebottled, labelled with new academic terminologies that misrepresent and deceive," the submission states.
La Trobe to review planning for Festival
In a statement to Deepcut, La Trobe University said it acknowledged “the decision by many authors to withdraw from the Festival and will review all aspects of the planning for the Bendigo Writers Festival, including the Code of Conduct, in an effort to improve and enhance civic engagement and the delivery of public and community programs in the future”.
A La Trobe University spokesperson conceded that the university along with the Festival organisers “agreed to issue a Code of Conduct to promote the respectful exchange of views and ensure community safety”. The spokesperson did not respond to a request for further details regarding the 5A letter, or how the university arrived at the decision to issue a code of conduct.
“La Trobe will always take seriously any concerns raised about community safety and inclusion – including cultural safety - and we welcome feedback on our public events and engagement,” the spokesperson said.
“This is a commitment we extend, without exception, to all members of our community regardless of their background, cultural or political affiliations, and we strongly reject any suggestion otherwise.”
Deepcut sent La Trobe University several detailed questions, including whether it endorsed or agreed with 5A’s claim that Abdel-Fattah was an “antisemitic activist”. The spokesperson did not directly respond to this question.
'Institutions should ignore this group'
Max Kaiser, an executive officer at the Jewish Council of Australia and an expert on antisemitism, dismissed 5A's characterisation of Abdel-Fattah.
"Dr Abdel-Fattah in no way poses a threat to Jews and has been a long-standing ally of ours at the Jewish Council of Australia," Kaiser told Deepcut.
Kaiser described 5A as a "a rightwing pro-Israel lobby group within academia" and that "institutions should ignore this group".
"5A are an opaque organisation with no members on their website and appear to just exist to try silence speech on Palestine. This group is well known for making spurious claims about Palestinian academics, and trying to have Palestinians removed from academic and cultural discourse."
A 5A representative declined to respond to questions.
Controversial antisemitism definition
At the centre of the uproar that unravelled the Bendigo Writers Festival is La Trobe University's controversial definition of antisemitism that critics say conflates legitimate criticism of Israel and Zionism.
In February, Universities Australia adopted a working definition of antisemitism that draws heavily from a definition drafted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). The IHRA definition covers speech that "might include the targeting of the state of Israel" and "claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavour".
Other Jewish voices, however, believe pro-Israel groups are weaponising antisemitism to silence criticism of Israel. That includes the lead drafter of the definition – Kenneth S. Stern – who has warned that its use in universities will allow Zionist lobby groups to "hunt political speech with which they disagree". Stern also accused pro-Israel groups of pushing the definition "to chill or suppress much pro-Palestinian speech".
Kaiser also disputes attempts to conflate Zionism with Jewish identity.
"Despite relentless propagandising from pro-Israel organisations, a growing number of Jewish people in Australia and around the world support Palestinian human rights and are moving away from Zionism," he said.
'Never had a code of conduct before'
NTEU Victoria state secretary Sarah Roberts called the effort to silence Abdel-Fattah "an affront to academic freedom and freedom of communication".
"The NTEU opposed universities’ adoption of the IHRA’s definition of antisemitism, including at La Trobe, because it conflates legitimate criticism of the state of Israel with antisemitism," Roberts told Deepcut. "We call on the Bendigo Writers’ Festival to clarify its position and allow the free exchange of ideas as a writers’ festival should.”
Cecile Shanahan served two roles as a co-curator of the Festival as well as its program administrator on behalf of the City of Greater Bendigo. She told Deepcut she received the code of conduct "at the same time as everyone else, just a few short days ago".
"I too was immediately concerned at its wording and the implication that those in the La Trobe sessions should behave themselves or else. It was completely inappropriate to ask anyone to adhere to such requirements."
Shanahan has been involved in the Festival's organisation for 10 years, and has "never had a code of conduct or placed any attempt to guide the direction of conversations upon writers before".
"It’s a very sad state of affairs that external influences have led to such a well respected festival being reduced to what it has become this year and I fear that it may never recover from this year’s debacle."
I can’t help but see that every accusation a pro zionist group makes towards another community group is, in fact, a confession. Thank you for this investigation
Thank you this investigation. Absolutely appalling the defamation against Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah as well. Became a paid subscriber off the back of this article because we need more independent media like Deepcut doing important work like this. Thank you!