Defence association condemns Catherine Deveny’s Anzac Day ‘bigotry’ slurs

Comedian Catherine Deveny attracted widespread condemnation after saying Anzac Day was ‘f..king disgusting’.

Anzac Day is ‘a Trojan Horse for ­racism, sexism, toxic masculinity, violence, homophobia and discrimination,’ says Catherine Deveny.

Writer and comedian Catherine Deveny attracted widespread condemnation after commenting yesterday that Anzac Day was “f..king disgusting” and “should have gone in the bin decades ago”.

Deveny, who has dabbled in journalism and now runs writing workshops, took to Facebook and Twitter to attack the commemorative day for being a “Trojan horse for discrimination”.

“As it gets closer, my head feels tighter and tighter and I feel more and more nauseous,” she wrote on Facebook. “I blame the collective cognitive dissonance seeping in.

“I abhor Anzac Day and can’t wait til it’s over. I am so delighted to hear the chorus increasing every year saying ‘Anzac Day is bullshit. It’s a Trojan horse for ­racism, sexism, toxic masculinity, violence, homophobia and discrimination’.”

She also insulted troops on Twitter by claiming their role was “no more dangerous or prone to upheaval than many other jobs” while advocating that the term “serve” be thrown in the bin.

“It’s part of the fetishisation of war and violence,” Deveny said.

Condemnation was swift.

The Australian Defence ­Association, which acts as an independent body on defence issues, said Deveny was “deliberately provocative”.

“(She) ignores that serving in our Defence Force means accepting the obligation to ‘work’ in an unlimited liability occupation,” it said. “That’s why it’s serving, not just working.

“Moreover, Australia has a Defence Force, not ‘armed forces’.”

“On behalf of the 102,825 Australians that lost their lives while ‘serving’, I respectfully ask for your apology for making such a selfish, uninformed statement,” wrote Twitter user @BubbaFett33.

“Yawn. Don’t give her the ­attention she craves,” wrote Nine journalist and former Europe correspondent Tom Steinfort, who covered Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey for the network.

Deveny told one US Army veteran, who contacted her from Kentucky: “You didn’t ‘serve your country’, you chose a job in the ­violence industry.”

@Buckets 74 commented: “I ‘served’ in the Australian Army. It wasn’t just a job. I was sent to ­Afghanistan among other sunny holiday spots. At the time I thought we were doing the right thing. Now not so much. The job was dirty and dangerous and I hope to Christ my children find safer jobs as adult.”

The Australian phoned Deveny for comment but she hung up.