An Australian publisher has scrapped a children's book over comments made by the book's illustrator on the Bondi beach shooting, which the publisher says violates its policy on antisemitism.
The move has prompted several prominent Australian writers to cut ties with The University of Queensland Press (UQP) and sparked allegations of political censorship.
Thousands of copies had already been printed for 'Bila, A River Cycle' - an Indigenous children's book, written by poet Jazz Money and illustrated by Matt Chun.
In January, Chun wrote and published an essay critiquing some of the public's responses to the Bondi shooting.
Fifteen people were killed after two gunmen opened fire at a Jewish festival held at the beach on 14 December.
The victims included Rabbi Eli Schlanger, who led the local Chabad mission, an international Hasidic Jewish group that organised the event.
In his essay, Chun accused the 'Australian left' of trying to 'perform respectability and avoid accusations of anti-semitism' in the wake of the shooting, while also criticising media coverage of the incident.
He also criticised Chabad and Schlanger because they had supported Israel's military actions and illegal settlements in Palestinian territories.
The University of Queensland said in a statement to the BBC that Chun's comments were 'abhorrent and hateful to the innocent victims of the attack' and could not be condoned.
They stated that the decision regrettably impacted Money, with whom they expressed their desire to work in the future.
Copies of the books are now in storage as the university considers 'recycling options'.
Chun has since stated that the university has not specified which parts of his writing violated its policies, while Money expressed that the cancellation sets a precedent for censorship against politically urgent works.
Prominent Australian authors, including Evelyn Araluen and Randa Abdel-Fattah, have condemned UQP's actions and severed their relationships with the publisher.
Founded in 1948, UQP publishes a variety of genres including fiction, non-fiction, and poetry, and is now facing backlash for its handling of this issue.
