Staff at State Library Victoria have claimed senior management sent a message of “censorship and discrimination” to three authors when it postponed a series of writing events at the library “seemingly because of the authors’ support for Palestine”.
Last week, the library suddenly pulled from its program free annual writing bootcamps for teenagers, claiming it had concerns over “child and cultural safety”. The workshops covered fiction, nonfiction, playwriting and poetry.
The award-winning poet Omar Sakr, who regularly posts pro-Palestine messages on social media, had his contract for the event terminated, with the new agreement stating it was due to “circumstances which were not apparent at the time of entering into the contract”.
In a letter sent to the library’s board, seen by Guardian Australia, staff claimed the “political” decision by senior management had damaged the library’s reputation and commitment to diversity.
“[Management] have directly undermined these values by mistrusting the professionalism of three Queer pro-Palestine writers, terminating their contracts with vague statements about ‘changes in the external environment’ and ‘child and cultural safety’,” the staff members wrote.
“The message this sends to these writers and their communities is one of censorship and discrimination.”
Library staff said 113 staff members had so far signed the letter.
Along with Sakr, the young adult author Alison Evans and the journalist Jinghua Qian – who have also been vocal in their support of Palestinians – had their contracts with the library terminated. Qian is a member of the media union MEAA’s Members for Palestine group and was one of the organisers of last Friday’s rallies across multiple cities protesting against the sacking of Antoinette Lattouf.
However, a spokesperson for the library said the decision to defer the workshop to the second half of this year was not based on the “political beliefs or identity of anyone involved with the program”.
“We don’t comment on the interpretation of an individual’s views or backgrounds. Their personal views are their own and the Library is apolitical,” the spokesperson said.
“The decision to defer the program and conduct a review was made because, at this time of heightened sensitivities, it is important to make sure our protocols and practices remain effective to discharge our duty of care for everyone involved.”
The library spokesperson said staff would be invited to participate in a review of the program and the protocols that relate to the conduct of presenters and others involved in the program.
In the letter, the staff called for the workshops to be reinstated and for a public apology to be issued to the writers, as well as an invitation for them to return.
They also wrote that staff were “bearing the brunt” of the library’s “mistake”, which had threatened the workforce’s wellbeing.
“We demand to know who was consulted regarding this decision, which specific safely concerns were identified, what measures will be taken to support staff impacted by this mistake, and what processes will be implemented to provide accountability and transparency in future decisions,” they wrote.
