State Library Victoria chief executive Paul Duldig has spoken publicly for the first time after the library was accused of censorship for cancelling a series of workshops set to be run by writers with pro-Palestine views. Speaking on ABC Melbourne on Tuesday, Duldig conceded that a complaint had been made about one of the writers whose workshop was cancelled, Omar Sakr, and social media posts he made about Israel’s invasion of Gaza. But he denied the complaint had anything to do with the library’s “postponement” of the events, instead pointing to its “duty of care” and a review that was undertaken of policies and procedures.
Paul Duldig, chief executive of State Library Victoria. Credit: Joe Armao ABC interviewer Rafael Epstein then asked: “So if Omar Sakr reposted the same thing, does that stop him being invited to the library to do workshops?” “No. I’ve already judged that as being acceptable,” Duldig said.
This masthead in July revealed that board members, the chief executive and senior state library staff had discussed the writers’ political views at length – particularly those of Sakr. Management also spoke to donors and the state government and flagged concerns over the religious backgrounds of writers before deciding to cancel the workshops. On Tuesday, Duldig insisted that Sakr’s commentary was not at the core of the issue.
“That particular expression was a very thoughtful analysis of the commentary that sits around Israel and Gaza. I mean, as I said, controversial, but reasoned, it would offend some people, and offence is okay. Challenge is okay,” Duldig said.
Four of the six writers contracted to run the Teen Writing Boot Camps: (clockwise from top left) Ariel Slamet Ries, Omar Sakr, Alison Evans and Jinghua Qian. Credit: Marija Ercegovac “Look, as an institution that is here for learning, we need to be challenged to learn that that’s not the issue at all ..
. it’s actually, can we have that in a place that is respectful? And if a library is not a safe space and respectful place for everyone, then I’ve failed.” Asked why the library had been so vocal in its support for drag queen story time and had not stood up for the rights of writers to express their opinions on another issue, Duldig said the State Library was not “ready”.
“We had done the work as an institution to be resilient around the drag queen story time, but we weren’t ready to face the challenges of dealing with hate speech and other things that related to Gaza,” he said. Duldig’s comments follow the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra cancelling a performance by acclaimed pianist Jayson Gillham after he dedicated a new piece of music to journalists killed in Gaza. Asked if pressure from donors was a factor, Duldig was emphatic: “I’ve not heard a single conversation with, or [had] pressure from donors about this.
“This particular program is funded by some donors, who I told about our decision, but I didn’t seek their views or was not influenced in any way by the donors.” Some of the country’s top writers have boycotted the State Library over the issue, including Tony Birch and Michelle de Kretser. The Booklist is a weekly newsletter for book lovers from books editor Jason Steger.
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