Library mascot Pip the Watermelon caught in censorship row

Public Libraries Victoria restricts use of mascot for children's reading challenge, citing "political" connotations

Victoria’s public libraries have been warned about using a cartoon watermelon mascot due to its possible association with “political movements”.

The watermelon has become a global symbol of solidarity with Palestinians, and the annual BIG Summer Read campaign for children by Public Libraries Victoria (PLV) just so happens to have a watermelon mascot – Pip.

In an email to library managers on October 30, PLV chief executive Angela Savage warned that “watermelon imagery has more recently been associated with political movements, particularly in global contexts”, and that libraries should “be mindful of how campaign imagery may be interpreted outside its intended context”.

The guidelines recommend that library staff:

• “avoid using Pip as a standalone mascot in promotional materials, social media posts, or displays”;

• “ensure campaign messaging remains focused on literacy, reading for pleasure, and community engagement”; and

• “always use Pip in the context of the Big Summer Read campaign, alongside other official mascots and campaign materials”.

Savage advised that “in the event of any negative feedback in response to these guidelines, we note the following: these are guidelines only for library staff to consider in the hope of avoiding the politicisation of a children’s reading campaign, designed to bring communities together around the joy of reading”.

“We regret the circumstances that make it necessary to issue these guidelines at all,” she added.

A spokesperson for rank-and-file union group ASU for Palestine Victoria said the directives against Pip was “a farcical incident that would be funny if it wasn’t tragic”.

“Two years into the genocide it’s embarrassing and frankly appalling that PLV is concerned about a cartoon watermelon. This farcical and hamfisted attempt at censorship makes a mockery of libraries. Library workers and the community we serve deserve better than this cowardice,” the spokesperson said.

“When library institutions cave to political pressure to silence Palestinian solidarity, they compromise their core democratic mission, ethical integrity, and role as defenders of intellectual freedom.”

PLV were unable to provide comment, as all representatives authorised to speak with media are on leave for Victoria’s Melbourne Cup long weekend.

The watermelon emerged as a symbol of Palestinian solidarity after Israel prohibited displays of the Palestinian flag. In September, literature distributed at the pro-Israel Australian Mayors Summit Against Antisemitism on the Gold Coast described watermelons as an ‘antisemitic visual symbol’.

This is not the first time Victorian libraries have sparked free speech concerns with regards to Palestine. In 2024, State Library Victoria staff accused management of “censorship and discrimination” after cancelling a series of events featuring three authors who had expressed support for Palestine on social media on the grounds of “social and cultural safety”. Internal emails obtained under Freedom of Information laws later revealed the State Library had monitored the writers’ social media accounts for pro-Palestinian speech.

Next week, Savage is due to appear on a panel discussing “how we can uphold truth, diversity, and democracy in Australian libraries” following a public screening of The Librarians – a documentary on how “librarians in the United States are standing up against censorship and political intimidation”.