Australian Writers Festival Falls Apart After Cutting Prominent Palestinian Author Over "Past Statements" Following Terror Attack
A highly publicized controversy erupted after the Adelaide festival board cut prominent Palestinian Australian author Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah from its lineup, citing her "past statements" in the context of the deadly Bondi terror attack. The decision was met with swift backlash and ultimately led to an implosion of the festival.
The move sparked widespread outrage among writers, publishers, and intellectuals, who accused the board of anti-Palestinian racism and censorship. A string of high-profile figures, including bestselling author Zadie Smith, Russian-American journalist Masha Gessen, Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Percival Everett, and Australian literary icon Helen Garner, withdrew from the festival, citing their own withdrawal statements.
The decision to cut Abdel-Fattah from the lineup was made "given her past statements," the board claimed. However, many saw it as a thinly veiled attempt to silence a vocal critic of Israel. Abdel-Fattah had faced sustained criticism from Australia's conservative opposition and some Jewish groups for comments on Israel, including allegations that Zionists had "no claim or right to cultural safety."
The backlash against the festival intensified when Adelaide writers' week director Louise Adler announced her resignation in an opinion piece published in Guardian Australia. "I cannot be party to silencing writers, so with a heavy heart I am resigning from my role as the director of the AWW," she wrote.
In response to the fallout, the board ultimately cancelled the festival's 2026 writers' week and announced that it would step down immediately, except for one local council representative whose term expired in February. The board apologized to Abdel-Fattah for "how the decision was represented," but she rejected the apology as "disingenuous" and said it added insult to injury.
The South Australian government denied exerting pressure on the festival's leadership to disinvite Abdel-Fattah, but acknowledged that the cancellation of the festival was a blow to Australia's literary landscape. Adelaide writers' week is Australia's largest free literary festival, attracting over 160,000 people last year and contributing $62.6m to South Australia's economy.
The incident has raised questions about the limits of free speech and the role of censorship in public discourse. It also highlights the complexities of navigating controversy and criticism in a multicultural society. As one prominent writer noted, "Writers and writing matters, even when they are presenting ideas that discomfort and challenge us."
A highly publicized controversy erupted after the Adelaide festival board cut prominent Palestinian Australian author Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah from its lineup, citing her "past statements" in the context of the deadly Bondi terror attack. The decision was met with swift backlash and ultimately led to an implosion of the festival.
The move sparked widespread outrage among writers, publishers, and intellectuals, who accused the board of anti-Palestinian racism and censorship. A string of high-profile figures, including bestselling author Zadie Smith, Russian-American journalist Masha Gessen, Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Percival Everett, and Australian literary icon Helen Garner, withdrew from the festival, citing their own withdrawal statements.
The decision to cut Abdel-Fattah from the lineup was made "given her past statements," the board claimed. However, many saw it as a thinly veiled attempt to silence a vocal critic of Israel. Abdel-Fattah had faced sustained criticism from Australia's conservative opposition and some Jewish groups for comments on Israel, including allegations that Zionists had "no claim or right to cultural safety."
The backlash against the festival intensified when Adelaide writers' week director Louise Adler announced her resignation in an opinion piece published in Guardian Australia. "I cannot be party to silencing writers, so with a heavy heart I am resigning from my role as the director of the AWW," she wrote.
In response to the fallout, the board ultimately cancelled the festival's 2026 writers' week and announced that it would step down immediately, except for one local council representative whose term expired in February. The board apologized to Abdel-Fattah for "how the decision was represented," but she rejected the apology as "disingenuous" and said it added insult to injury.
The South Australian government denied exerting pressure on the festival's leadership to disinvite Abdel-Fattah, but acknowledged that the cancellation of the festival was a blow to Australia's literary landscape. Adelaide writers' week is Australia's largest free literary festival, attracting over 160,000 people last year and contributing $62.6m to South Australia's economy.
The incident has raised questions about the limits of free speech and the role of censorship in public discourse. It also highlights the complexities of navigating controversy and criticism in a multicultural society. As one prominent writer noted, "Writers and writing matters, even when they are presenting ideas that discomfort and challenge us."
can't believe this is what passes for thought leadership in Australia these days... cutting Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah from the festival lineup over her comments on Israel? 
sounds like a classic case of "we don't want to be associated with someone who might challenge our comfy liberal views" 
the whole thing reeks of censorship and anti-Palestinian racism. what's next, silencing authors for their opinions on climate change or social justice? 
what's going on with this festival?! 
They literally cut off a Palestinian author just because of her comments about Israel? That's like silencing someone for having an opinion 
It sounds like they were just trying to cover their own behinds and avoid some backlash. But you can't just silence someone because you're scared of what others might think, that's not how it works 
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. This whole thing just makes me so frustrated with the state of our society right now 
. The festival ended up gettin cancelled 2 
. Guess its a lesson in how important it is 2 b open-minded & accept diff perspectives 
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. It was a total own goal by the festival, and it's going to have long-term consequences for Australia's literary landscape 
. I hope Dr Abdel-Fattah can find it in herself to continue speaking out and fighting for justice 
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anyway its sad that ppl are already talking about cancelling events rather than having nuanced conversations about what went wrong 
i guess this is just another example of how complex it can get when we're trying to navigate different perspectives in a multicultural society 
. Cutting Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah from the festival lineup because of her past statements about Israel seems like a huge overreaction 
shouldn't people be able to express their opinions, even if others disagree with them?
. And honestly, it's not just the Palestinian community that's being affected... it's anyone who's ever tried to speak out against injustice 
... but shouldn't we be able to talk about important issues without being afraid of getting called out for our opinions?