“Lest. We. Forget. (Manus, Nauru, Syria, Palestine…)”
With the tap of her thumb, Yassmin Abdel-Magied hit send on the seven words that outraged a nation.
Despite amending her original post minutes after sharing it on ANZAC Day 2017 and issuing an apology, the public’s condemnation of the 27-year-old engineer, author, presenter and activist was swift and vile.
On the day that most Australians hold sacred, many felt Abdel-Magied’s words were disrespectful to the memories of the men and women who have been to war for us, and those who continue to represent Australia in our military services so we can enjoy the freedoms we have today.
On the other side of the debate are those who saw ANZAC Day as glorifying war and exclusive of today’s diverse Australian society. We celebrate and play two-up, while minorities in our country and around the world who are desperately escaping war, are not granted asylum.
After everything happened, Mamamia Out Loud reflected on Yassmin Abdel-Magied’s controversial ANZAC Day comments. Post continues after audio.
Regardless which way the pendulum swung, life as the Sudanese-born Australian knew it would never be the same.
In the weeks and months that followed, the ABC axed the Australia Wide program she hosted on the network and Abdel-Magied found it near impossible to continue living in Australia under intense – and often racist – online scrutiny. So much so, she relocated from Australia to London last August.
In an op-ed for Teen Vogue in September, 2017, Abdel-Magied wrote of how the country she loved so much had turned against her in an instant.
“I was sent death threats. Racist posters went up. I had to move houses, change my phone number, shut off my social media. I was being made an example of. And the reality is, none of the positive work that I did over the past 10 years mattered. All that mattered was that I was a young Muslim woman of colour who had stepped out of line,” she wrote.
Top Comments
I hope she does.
"Is ANZAC Day the right day for activism?" Yep. Because our nation is hypocritical, with our bombing of the Middle East and our refusal to help those we bomb. Not to mention our political prisoners, many of whom are fleeing war zones, locked up without charge or hope. We don't even remember WWI for what it was: A pointless war where our young men were slaughtered for the glory of old England. And we had to pay back a war debt to England afterwards, even though we were supporting them and our freedom was never at risk. The didn't die for honour, their deaths were completely and utterly avoidable and it set our country back decades. That is what we should remember. The complete waste of life that men create with war and how we sent our best and brightest men into a meat grinder, with those who came back damaged beyond repair. Oh, and that we are engaging in warmongering and putting others through the horror of modern warfare.
Laura Palmer, what do you think is the right way to thank the veterans then if not with a day where the nation stops just for them (with a ceremony where we are reminded of the sacrifice they made). A day where we remember them and say thanks? That's what ANZAC day is for - nothing more, nothing less. I'm genuinely interested? It doesn't matter what the politics were or weren't - this is purely about the soldiers, and us saying thank you to them and that we appreciate the huge thing that they have done for us. Leaving all politics out of it, what do you think is the best way for the nation to say 'thanks, we appreciate you'. And by the 'nation' I mean the everyday person, not the government.
ANZAC day is about commemorating the loss of lives and efforts of Australians at war over the years - Yassmin is a highly intelligent woman and knew exactly the impact her words would have - she even picked wording most likely to draw the impact it did - Lest we forget. I don't agree with the bullying or racism that ended up being directed her way and think the general public need to ensure their anger is conveyed by intelligent argument rather than personal insults and attack but I also think Yassmin failed to truly care or appreciate the impact of her words - in fact, her encouraging others to make the same post on ANZAC day just confirms this view to me. I personally found it offensive - I'm the granddaughter of a WW2 veteran who was a POW in Changi. I actually think she could have still been activist on ANZAC day without showing disrespect - for example, she could have suggested that treatment of Manus refugees is at odds with the ANZAC spirit in her post.
I agree totally. I also think the other thing that Yassmin's actions in 2018 show is that her apology last year obviously meant absolutely nothing. You don't apologise for something, mean it, and then repeat the exact same action.