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'Everything Tarrant identifies...is true': Ramsay Centre under fire for speakers

Sydney Morning Herald logo Sydney Morning Herald 19/03/2019 Pallavi Singhal

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A writer who responded to the New Zealand massacre by noting that "everything [shooter Brenton] Tarrant identifies as qualities of a disintegrating Western civilisation is true" and an academic who runs a fan blog dedicated to right-wing speaker Milo Yiannopoulos are some of the "distinguished visiting speakers" being promoted by the controversial Ramsay Centre.

The Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation, which recently signed an agreement with the University of Wollongong to begin offering a new Bachelor of Arts in Western Civilisation, has come under fire for including The American Conservative editor Rod Dreher and University of Chicago academic Rachel Fulton-Brown on its 2019 lecture series speakers list.

In an article on Tarrant's manifesto, a 74-page document which was published online and sent to New Zealand politicians in the minutes before Mr Tarrant killed at least 50 people in a mosque in Christchurch, Mr Dreher writes: "It’s a chilling document, for a couple of reasons. First, it’s grounded in both paranoid, racist grievance, and legitimate, realistic concerns.

"You may think that declining numbers of ethnic Europeans is a good thing, or something that has no particular moral meaning. But it really is happening," Mr Dreher writes in the article that was published on Friday afternoon under a screenshot from a video of the massacre filmed by Tarrant and disseminated online.

Mr Dreher's article is critical of the massacre, which he describes as a "despicable act".

A spokeswoman for the Ramsay Centre said: "The only fitting response to the appalling tragedy in Christchurch is shock and deep sympathy for the victims, their families and the broader community.

"The Centre’s lecture program includes numerous well-known speakers who will sometimes express controversial views on various topics, but the Centre believes it would be highly inappropriate and insensitive to comment further at this time."

a man wearing sunglasses and a hat: An academic who runs a fan blog dedicated to right-wing commentator Milo Yiannopoulos, who was banned from Australia following his comments on the New Zealand massacre, is on the Ramsay Centre speakers list. © Alex Ellinghausen An academic who runs a fan blog dedicated to right-wing commentator Milo Yiannopoulos, who was banned from Australia following his comments on the New Zealand massacre, is on the Ramsay Centre speakers list. Ika Willis, an associate professor at the University of Wollongong, said she is concerned about the university's links to the Ramsay Centre.

"I am deeply concerned that through its partnership with the Ramsay Centre, our institution is, however inadvertently, lending academic legitimacy to an uncritical, historically inaccurate, social-media-influenced version of "Western Civilisation" which has now proven to be genuinely dangerous," Dr Willis said.

Another speaker on the list, Associate Professor of history Rachel Fulton-Brown, runs a blog dedicated to Mr Yiannopoulos, who was recently banned from Australia after he responded to the New Zealand massacre by describing Islam as a "barbaric" and "alien" religious culture.

In the latest post on her blog from January, Professor Fulton-Brown writes "I am not ‘fascinated’ with Milo. I love Milo".

Other speakers on the Ramsay Centre list include The Australian's foreign editor Greg Sheridan, Helen Pluckrose, editor of the online magazine Areo, which is focused on "humanism...and free expression", and University of Buckingham vice-chancellor Anthony Seldon.

The Centre is currently also in talks with the University of Sydney and the University of Queensland to host its Western Civilisation degree and University of Sydney academic Nick Riemer said the invited speakers highlight the Centre's right-wing agenda.

"In their negotiations with universities, the Ramsay Centre has tried hard to give the impression they're politically non-partisan but the speaking list shows that isn't the case," said Dr Riemer, who has been vocal in his opposition to any partnership between the Centre and Sydney University.

"Critics of the Ramsay Centre said it was going to use partnerships with universities to give academic credibility to its political agenda and even after so much criticism it's still pushing well-known conservative speakers and a groupie of Milo Yiannopoulos."

In response to Ramsay Centre's list of speakers, a spokesman for the University of Wollongong said: "The University of Wollongong has not been consulted about these speakers.

"Questions regarding the Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation’s speaking events are a matter for the Ramsay Centre.

A spokeswoman for the University of Sydney said: "As Ramsay events are a matter for them, we are not in a position to comment."

A spokeswoman for the University of Queensland also directed questions to the Ramsay Centre.

Pictures: Memorials and tributes to the New Zealand attack victims

WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND - MARCH 17: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern hugs a mosque-goer at the Kilbirnie Mosque on March 17, 2019 in Wellington, New Zealand. 50 people are confirmed dead and 36 are injured still in hospital following shooting attacks on two mosques in Christchurch on Friday, 15 March. The attack is the worst mass shooting in New Zealand's history. (Photo by /Getty Images)
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