- Published on
By Travis Thompson
THE Phillip Island Festival of Stories took place in Cowes over the weekend of August 2-4. The event website described it as “celebrating story-telling in all its forms” and yet on the ticketing website a notice was given that “The Committee of the Island Story Gatherers requests that there will be no discussions or opinions expressed on the situation in Gaza during the event.”
While many may find it reasonable to suggest that topics which illicit strong, diverging opinions might be best avoided, this approach serves to silence some of the most important story-telling happening in the world right now – quite contrary to the purpose of the event.
THE Phillip Island Festival of Stories took place in Cowes over the weekend of August 2-4. The event website described it as “celebrating story-telling in all its forms” and yet on the ticketing website a notice was given that “The Committee of the Island Story Gatherers requests that there will be no discussions or opinions expressed on the situation in Gaza during the event.”
While many may find it reasonable to suggest that topics which illicit strong, diverging opinions might be best avoided, this approach serves to silence some of the most important story-telling happening in the world right now – quite contrary to the purpose of the event.
There are millions suffering, tens of thousands dead and, according to some experts, probably hundreds of thousands who are likely to die in Gaza due to the military incursion by the Israeli forces, aided by many imperialist countries. This includes the Australian government, which has this year signed a military contract worth nearly $1 billion with an Israeli weapons manufacturer.
Upon learning about the prohibition, local year 11 student Joey Thompson took it upon himself to express his disappointment to the audience at the festival. Finding that entry to the festival was as easy as walking through the door, he walked immediately up to the stage, causing the audience to gasp audibly. He spent just short of two minutes on stage giving examples of stories from Gaza that deserve to be told and which the festival was actively ignoring, before being ushered off the stage and out of the theatre by festival staff.
A reporter from the Phillip Island and San Remo Advertiser was present, filmed Joey and came out as he left to ask him why he chose to do this. The disruption was covered in the following edition of the paper but, despite Joey explaining very clearly about the prohibition of discussion on Gaza on the website, the newspaper neglected to mention this. The article did, however, associate him with a local group who have been meeting regularly to express solidarity with those in Gaza despite Joey not mentioning this at all.
The violence occurring in Gaza is bad enough, with many around the world working hard to bring it to an end. For those of us living comfortable lives in “The Lucky Country” to have conferences about story telling and not only ignore but prohibit discussion of one of the greatest atrocities going on in the world right now is unconscionable. It shouldn’t happen anywhere, much less here.
Travis Thompson is Joey Thompson’s father.
A reporter from the Phillip Island and San Remo Advertiser was present, filmed Joey and came out as he left to ask him why he chose to do this. The disruption was covered in the following edition of the paper but, despite Joey explaining very clearly about the prohibition of discussion on Gaza on the website, the newspaper neglected to mention this. The article did, however, associate him with a local group who have been meeting regularly to express solidarity with those in Gaza despite Joey not mentioning this at all.
The violence occurring in Gaza is bad enough, with many around the world working hard to bring it to an end. For those of us living comfortable lives in “The Lucky Country” to have conferences about story telling and not only ignore but prohibit discussion of one of the greatest atrocities going on in the world right now is unconscionable. It shouldn’t happen anywhere, much less here.
Travis Thompson is Joey Thompson’s father.
Response from festival president
The president of the Festival of Stories organising committee, Lois Gaskin, said that in retrospect it could have been an error of judgement to request no discussion of Gaza. “If we hadn’t raised it probably nothing would have happened.”
But she said organisers were conscious of conflict surrounding this year’s Melbourne Writers Festival and other events related to the war in Gaza.
“It is important to us that one of our founding policies is to provide a safe environment for presenters, committee. volunteers,venue staff and attendees.
“If you started a discussion it could have gone on all weekend with no resolution. I hope in a few years’ time there can be discussion around this but at the moment it is too raw, too emotional. There are innocent people on both sides who can be hurt by people making statements.”
Ms Gaskin said the young man came onto the stage, made his statement - with no personal attacks - and left when he was requested to.
The president of the Festival of Stories organising committee, Lois Gaskin, said that in retrospect it could have been an error of judgement to request no discussion of Gaza. “If we hadn’t raised it probably nothing would have happened.”
But she said organisers were conscious of conflict surrounding this year’s Melbourne Writers Festival and other events related to the war in Gaza.
“It is important to us that one of our founding policies is to provide a safe environment for presenters, committee. volunteers,venue staff and attendees.
“If you started a discussion it could have gone on all weekend with no resolution. I hope in a few years’ time there can be discussion around this but at the moment it is too raw, too emotional. There are innocent people on both sides who can be hurt by people making statements.”
Ms Gaskin said the young man came onto the stage, made his statement - with no personal attacks - and left when he was requested to.
...it is always scary rocking the boat, but when 'the boat' is genocide it makes total sense to act and act with strength and commitment
I was away interstate so missed the occasion, but I understand he was polite but got his point across. Well done in a time when many older people often think rude and aggressive is OK it is great that young people are showing strength and commitment in a respectful way. By ignoring and censoring such an issue we give weight to the conventional view in Australia that does require challenge. 47,000 people being slaughtered in their homes is not to be censored.
See First they came ... - Wikipedia for the poem for the following version by the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, a charity established by the British Government:
First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist
Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me
Thank you for speaking out, Joey and Travis.
Thank you Travis..great article.
The situation in Gaza is truly inhumane and needs a deep discussion on Australia's role in this through the direct involvement of US bases on our soil and our own arms exporting industry.
However, Gaza is one of several horrific wars being waged in several central and northparts of the African continent. Some have been raging for decades and have resulted in the loss of whole generations of children to forced armed service as child soldiers. Many millions of people are displaced and live in horrible conditions in dangerous and crowded refugee camps in countries neighboring their own, and who can ill-afford the tracts of land and other resources taken up by the refugees. Where is the call for a deep public discussion about the plight of these people? Or those of the millions of displaced climate refugees now fleeing whole countries turned to dust, and or being inundated by rising sea levels and catastrophic weather events? Or the women and children forced to flee for their lives from drug gangs in Central and South America, leaving behind loved ones who they have no idea are alive or not - and then only to arrive at an impenetrable wall across much of the US.
The fact is there is much to discuss. Gaza is one important discussion we all need to have. And so are all of the others, along with so many more. A small festival of stories run by a small and dedicated team of volunteers trying their best to lure high-profile, high-quality speakers within a theme, and to run the whole program to a tight schedule and even tighter budget in a rural community setting, simply cannot be expected to cover all of the topics that currently overwhelm us with ambient trauma.
I would encourage all young people to give voice to their outrage in many different ways - there are no doubt many young people who share Jye's frustration. I ask that they please band together and create their own event specifically to give a voice to young people on the Gaza situation. There would no doubt be many young and not so young people who would want to hear your younger voices on this vital issue - after all, you already have a core of people who have supported you here. And I would attend if able, that's for sure.
A timely discussion this week following censorship by the Melbourne Symphony of a performer introducing a work related to atrocities in Palestine.
https://abclisten.page.link/gKGLhbMeCdCns3S37