Disrespect for Anzac Day must not be tolerated
TODAY is recognised as a sacred day by almost all Australians. A day when we put aside any minor differences we may have, when political debates cease, when we join together to remember and thank those who sacrificed so much to gift present generations their peace, prosperity and freedom.
A day respected by all but a tiny, noisy, few.
For some voices on the anarchist fringe of left-wing politics, a group which has recently had some success in traducing Australia Day, even Anzac Day is no longer off limits.
Serial attention seeker Yassmin Abdel-Magied got the ball rolling last year, causing consternation by posting a message to her many social media followers that read “Lest We Forget (Manus, Nauru, Syria, Palestine).”
Following a storm of criticism, Ms Abdel-Magied quickly and rightly apologised for the miserable effort to politicise a day reserved only for the quiet and respectful honouring of past sacrifice.
“It was brought to my attention that my last post was disrespectful, and for that, I apologise unreservedly,” she said.
That should have been where the story ended, a squalid but easily forgettable example of misguided petulance.
What a dispiriting surprise then to find that last week Ms Abdel-Magied decided the only aspect of the episode to be forgotten was her contrition.
A fellow traveller at the extremes of reason, former GetUp! director Sally Rugg, echoed Ms Abdel-Magied’s previous offensive statement. Posting on Twitter she wrote: “What if thousands of us all tweeted ‘lest we forget (Manus)’ next week on April 25th...”
Oh, what jolly japes in the Twitter echo-chamber.
One might have expected Ms Abdel-Magied to counsel against going down a road that had led to her “unreserved” apology just 12 months earlier. Instead, she repeated Ms Rugg’s incendiary message to her own social media following, adding the words “Do it.”
There are a few important points to be made here.
Ms Abdel-Magied would do well to watch as many documentaries about conditions in the Pacific and on the Western Front as she appears to do ABC documentaries about conditions on Manus Island.
Maybe then she would learn to have a bit more respect for this day and all it represents.
There are 364 other days in the year when she and others can bang on about their agendas without needing to intrude on this important time of remembrance.
But despite the offence caused, Ms Abdel-Magied and her ilk are perfectly entitled to express their views as they see fit. Lives were lost, families torn asunder, to guarantee our right to free speech. It should be defended at all costs, no matter how certain blowhards try our patience.
Many argue that the likes of Ms Abdel-Magied are best ignored.
But that is a dangerous strategy. Despite the many benefits it has afforded them, these people are open about their desire to scuttle the way of life we hold so dear, and are working actively to that end. Unlike 70 years ago, the modern contest for Australia is not fought on bloody sand or muddy jungle floors but on the battlefield of ideas.
We cannot shirk that challenge.
There are ways to strike back, to send the right message.
Most disappointing about Ms Abdel-Magied’s recent behaviour is that it comes despite the fact she was handed the prestigious Queensland Young Australian of the Year award in 2015.
Having that award on her CV gives Ms Abdel-Magied and her rhetoric greater currency. One could even say it implies the endorsement of Queenslanders for her agenda, which now appears to include hijacking Anzac Day for unrelated causes.
It also seems an inappropriate badge of honour for someone who recently described Australia as akin to an abusive ex-boyfriend.
On Australia Day, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull described Australian of the Year state and territory recipients as “shining examples of our best selves”.
Can such a statement still be applied to Ms Abdel-Magied?
As a society, we must make clear that causing offence on Anzac Day is an action far beyond the pale of acceptable behaviour.
There is one obvious way to do it. Awards bestowed can just as easily be revoked, including Queensland Young Australian of the Year awards, a fact confirmed to this column by the National Australia Day Council, which is the organiser.
“As part of its policies, the NADC reserves the right to withdraw an Award or recognition as finalist if an individual’s conduct draws the Australian of the Year Awards into disrepute,” the Council said in a statement. “This is something to be decided on a case by case basis.”
Ms Abdel-Magied’s flagrant disrespect for Anzac Day surely be said to bring these awards into “disrepute”.
A minimum criteria for a Queensland Young Australian of the Year winner would surely be to actually respect Australia and its most cherished traditions.
The case appears overwhelming. A message should be sent, and her award rescinded.
THE MODERN CONTEST FOR AUSTRALIA IS NOT FOUGHT ON BLOODY SAND OR MUDDY JUNGLE FLOORS BUT ON THE BATTLEFIELD OF IDEAS