Organizers of Australia’s largest free literary festival canceled the event Tuesday after more than 180 writers and speakers withdrew in protest of the disinvitation of an Australian-Palestinian writer and academic.
Adelaide Writers Week Canceled Amid Controversy
The Adelaide Festival board announced Jan. 8 that Randa Abdel-Fattah was disinvited from Adelaide Writers Week, citing “previous statements” and cultural sensitivities following an antisemitic mass shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach. Board members stated there was no connection between Abdel-Fattah and the tragedy.
Abdel-Fattah, a lawyer, academic, and writer, described the move as “censorship,” saying it suggested her “mere presence” was culturally insensitive. The episode occurred during a national debate in Australia regarding limits on speech following a Dec. 14 shooting at a Hannukah event that left 15 people dead.
It’s Not Clear Why Abdel-Fattah Was Disinvited
Born in Australia to Palestinian and Egyptian parents, Abdel-Fattah frequently writes about Islamophobia and was scheduled to discuss her novel Discipline, which explores censorship issues faced by two Muslims in Sydney. She has been critical of the Israeli government and a supporter of Palestinians during the two-year war in Gaza.
Following the Bondi shooting, the Jewish Community Council for South Australia lobbied for Abdel-Fattah’s exclusion, according to spokesperson Norman Schueler. South Australia Premier Peter Malinauskus compared her appearance to “a far-right Zionist” speaking at the festival after a massacre at a mosque.
Abdel-Fattah has threatened defamation action against Malinauskus, calling his comments a “vicious personal assault.” Australian news outlets have also highlighted her statements regarding Israel and Zionism, including a post after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel featuring a parachute with the Palestinian flag. She told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. she was unaware of the death toll at the time and does not support the killing of civilians.
She also faced criticism for writing that Zionists had “no claim or right to cultural safety,” but told the ABC she had “never, ever called for Jews to be unsafe.”
Zadie Smith and Jacinda Ardern Withdraw in Protest
The removal of Abdel-Fattah prompted withdrawals from writers including British novelist Zadie Smith and former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, as well as some sponsors. Festival director Louise Adler resigned Tuesday, citing objections to the disinvitation, and a new board was appointed Wednesday after the remaining members also resigned.
Adler, a Jewish Australian, stated she could not “be party to silencing writers,” adding that 70% of the event’s speakers had withdrawn. Later Tuesday, a statement on the Festival’s Facebook page announced the cancellation of Writers Week and offered an apology to Abdel-Fattah for “how the decision was represented.”
Board members clarified that the decision was “not about identity or dissent but rather a continuing rapid shift in the national discourse around the breadth of freedom of expression” following Australia’s worst terror attack. Abdel-Fattah rejected the apology, calling it “a blatant act of anti-Palestinian racism” and criticizing the board for apologizing for the presentation of the decision, but not the decision itself.
Australia’s Leaders are Debating Hate Speech
Abdel-Fattah’s exclusion occurred amid proposed and enacted changes to laws covering hate speech, protest, and guns following the Bondi massacre. Some Jewish organizations argued that national and state leaders should have considered such measures earlier, after a wave of antisemitic arson and vandalism attacks targeted Jewish businesses, schools, and synagogues in Sydney and Melbourne during 2024 and early 2025.
New South Wales state passed a law banning protest gatherings during periods following terrorism declarations. The state is also considering criminalizing certain chants used at pro-Palestinian rallies. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced Tuesday he would recall federal parliament in January to vote on measures to tighten gun controls and lower criminal thresholds for prosecuting hate speech. He also announced a national inquiry, called a royal commission, into antisemitism in Australia and the Bondi attack.
Albanese said a national day of mourning for those killed would be held on Jan. 22.
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