South Australia's premier, Peter Malinauskas, has sparked outrage after declaring the cancellation of the 2026 Adelaide Writers' Festival a "social cohesion" measure. The festival, which was supposed to celebrate literature and ideas, was instead cancelled due to a row over comments made by Palestinian-Australian academic Randa Abdel-Fattah.
The controversy began when Tony Berg, a former managing director of Macquarie Bank and Boral, accused the festival's leadership of promoting "anti-Zionism" through its programming. Berg claimed that Abdel-Fattah, who was invited to speak at the festival, had made comments that were "despicable" and "spewed anti-Zionism".
Abdel-Fattah responded by accusing Berg of being hypocritical and denying any wrongdoing. However, her comments were deemed too extreme for some, leading to a boycott of the festival by numerous authors, academics, and politicians.
The cancellation of the festival has been widely criticized as an attempt to silence dissenting voices and stifle free speech. Premier Malinauskas's decision to cancel the event has been likened to a "bondi analogy" - a comparison between the violence against Palestinians and the violence against Australians at Bondi Beach, which was deemed too inflammatory.
The premier's office has denied any interference in the festival's programming, but the letter from Marque Lawyers, representing Abdel-Fattah, suggests that there may have been pressure from the government to cancel her appearance.
As a result of the backlash, the board of the Adelaide Festival Corporation met and decided to publicly apologize to Abdel-Fattah. However, the festival itself will not be reinstated this year, with members deeming it "tragically irretrievable".
The cancellation of the festival has raised questions about the limits of free speech in Australia and whether a premier can justify silencing dissenting voices as a means of promoting social cohesion.
The controversy began when Tony Berg, a former managing director of Macquarie Bank and Boral, accused the festival's leadership of promoting "anti-Zionism" through its programming. Berg claimed that Abdel-Fattah, who was invited to speak at the festival, had made comments that were "despicable" and "spewed anti-Zionism".
Abdel-Fattah responded by accusing Berg of being hypocritical and denying any wrongdoing. However, her comments were deemed too extreme for some, leading to a boycott of the festival by numerous authors, academics, and politicians.
The cancellation of the festival has been widely criticized as an attempt to silence dissenting voices and stifle free speech. Premier Malinauskas's decision to cancel the event has been likened to a "bondi analogy" - a comparison between the violence against Palestinians and the violence against Australians at Bondi Beach, which was deemed too inflammatory.
The premier's office has denied any interference in the festival's programming, but the letter from Marque Lawyers, representing Abdel-Fattah, suggests that there may have been pressure from the government to cancel her appearance.
As a result of the backlash, the board of the Adelaide Festival Corporation met and decided to publicly apologize to Abdel-Fattah. However, the festival itself will not be reinstated this year, with members deeming it "tragically irretrievable".
The cancellation of the festival has raised questions about the limits of free speech in Australia and whether a premier can justify silencing dissenting voices as a means of promoting social cohesion.
. I mean, the idea that cancelling an entire festival because one person made some comments is just crazy. It feels like we're losing sight of what free speech is all about 
. As a society, we need to be able to have tough conversations and debates, not silence people who are trying to contribute to those discussions.
. Is that just code for "we don't want to deal with uncomfortable truths"? Because if so, then I think we're in trouble 
. We need to be able to have these kinds of conversations without fear of retribution or backlash.
. I think we need to focus on building bridges and understanding different perspectives, not trying to silence people who are speaking out.
. It's like they're trying to silence dissenting voices and stifle free speech, you know? 
Free speech is a fundamental right, and if we can't even have an open discussion about sensitive topics without getting shut down, then what's the point of having a festival that celebrates literature and ideas in the first place? 
The fact that they had to apologize to Randa Abdel-Fattah just shows how far things have gone out of control 
. I think it's time for our leaders to get back on track and focus on promoting social cohesion through constructive dialogue, not suppression of free speech 
#FreeSpeechMatters #SocialCohesionNotSilencing #WritersFest #Adelaide
. I mean, come on, isn't that what universities and book clubs are for? Debating ideas and having tough conversations? This feels like a bunch of self-censorship run amok 
.
. And by the way, who gets to decide what constitutes 'offensive' behavior anyway? 
. Not sure what's more concerning - the fact that some people are trying to shut down this festival or the fact that others are so easily offended 
.
. As long as we're not promoting hate speech or violence, I think we should be able to have a free and open discussion about the issues that matter 
. The fact that Abdel-Fattah felt comfortable speaking her mind in the first place is what made the festival so valuable - and we shouldn't be trying to stifle that kind of discourse 
. We can't just pretend like everything is okay when it's not, but instead we need to have real conversations about the hard stuff and find ways to move forward as a society 
.
... I mean, come on, Premier Malinauskas, you're trying to silence an academic who's just speaking her mind? What's next, censorship at the universities? It's all about free speech and expression, mate. If we can't have open discussions about sensitive topics like Zionism, how are we supposed to move forward as a society? The whole thing is a bit of a mess, if you ask me 
And what's with all these people suddenly having an issue with free speech now? It's like they're trying to erase entire communities' perspectives from the conversation. 
The fact that the festival got cancelled in the first place just highlights how toxic politics can be 
... and now we have to deal with a whole mess of apologies and public backlash 
Can't we just talk about these issues without getting all emotional about it? 
. It's not about promoting social cohesion, it's about protecting free speech! And what's with Premier Malinauskas being so heavy-handed? Can't he just let people have their opinions without getting all worked up 
I'm really disappointed to hear that the Adelaide Writers' Festival got cancelled. It seems like it's become a powder keg issue 
and everyone's getting caught up in it. What's next, is our premier gonna cancel all the arts events? 
It's just not right. As a parent, I want my kids to be exposed to different perspectives and ideas 
, especially when it comes to topics like social cohesion and free speech.
for the future of our cultural institutions. What kind of message does it send to artists, writers, and intellectuals? That their opinions aren't valued or respected? 
It's time for us as a society to have a calm and rational conversation about these issues 
.
- free speech is essential for a healthy democracy, and silencing dissenting voices just goes against that.
I'm seriously disappointed in what's going down in Adelaide right now. Canceling the whole festival just to avoid controversy seems like such an overreaction 
What's next? Are we gonna cancel all public events because someone might say something "offensive"? 
come on, if you're gonna cancel the festival 'cause someone made a comment, at least have the balls to own that decision 
not like it's some kinda slippery slope where they gotta silence everyone who says something 'controversial'... what's next, cancelling all concerts because someone said something mean? 
this whole thing reeks of people being too sensitive and needing to be told what to think 
. The premier's decision seems to be based on fear of offending some people, rather than protecting free speech 
. Let's keep having open discussions and debates, even if it makes some people uncomfortable