Australia’s Adelaide Writers’ Week was cancelled following backlash over the removal of Palestinian-Australian writer Dr. Randa Abdel-Fattah from the festival’s lineup. This decision led to several invited speakers withdrawing their participation and the resignation of board members, prompting organizers to announce on Tuesday that the festival could no longer proceed as planned.
In their statement, organizers expressed regret over the situation, noting that a number of authors had opted not to attend the event, ultimately leading to the cancellation. They described the outcome as “regrettable.” The festival’s board explained that Abdel-Fattah was removed to show respect for the Jewish community following the mass shooting at Bondi Beach, but acknowledged that this choice resulted in further division.
The board apologized to Dr. Abdel-Fattah for how her removal was communicated, while emphasizing that the action was not about identity or dissent but was influenced by a shifting national discourse on freedom of expression following Australia’s most severe terror attack.
Dr. Abdel-Fattah rejected the board’s apology, characterizing their reasoning as “disingenuous” and arguing that the justification for her removal reflected an attempt to silence Palestinian voices rather than foster unity. She stated the board’s links between her cancellation and the terror attack were misleading and perpetuated division.
In response to the controversy, Dr. Abdel-Fattah asserted that the board’s acknowledgment of distress only addressed how the decision was portrayed, not the decision itself. She expressed frustration over being excluded from the national discourse, which she described as a racially charged act.
Louise Adler, the festival’s director, indicated in an opinion piece that Abdel-Fattah’s disinvite had occurred against her opposition, noting that the writer was scheduled to discuss her novel, Discipline. Adler further denounced the board’s decision as an assault on free expression that signified a looming threat to freedom in Australia. She cautioned that the situation reflects a broader trend of censorship comparable to tactics used during the Cold War.
The festival board insisted that it had disinvited Abdel-Fattah, a prominent critic of Israel, for reasons of cultural sensitivity following the Bondi Beach shooting. Abdel-Fattah described her removal as an “anti-Palestinian” action and a misrepresentation linking her to the massacre.
The boycott against the festival had gained momentum, with former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and approximately 180 writers, including Yanis Varoufakis and Zadie Smith, confirming they would not participate.
Support for the board’s decision came from South Australia’s Premier Peter Malinauskas as well as various federal politicians and Jewish organizations, although critics noted that Abdel-Fattah’s views, which include calls for decolonization and expressions against Zionism, were considered too controversial.
Adler accused pro-Israel lobbyists of employing excessively repressive strategies that inhibited free speech in Australia, highlighting a new narrative that suggests “Bondi changed everything” as a coercive tactic in public discourse.
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