State Library Victoria surveyed presenters’ social media for political content before terminating contracts, emails show

Omar Sakr (pictured), Alison Evans, and Jinghua Qian were among six writers engaged to present a series of workshops for teenagers at the State Library of Victoria that were later cancelled. Photograph: Isabella Moore

The State Library of Victoria (SLV) checked writers’ social media accounts for content relating to the Israel-Hamas conflict before cancelling the program they were due to present and terminating their contracts, internal emails have revealed.

In March, the library postponed a series of writing events for teenagers and terminated the contracts of the six writers engaged to present the workshops, citing concerns over “child and cultural safety”. Three of the writers – Omar Sakr, Alison Evans, and Jinghua Qian – speculated that the cancellation was due to their pro-Palestine stance.