One of Australia’s largest cultural events has been thrown into turmoil after the Adelaide Festival disinvited a prominent Australian-Palestinian writer, prompting mass withdrawals, senior resignations and the cancellation of its flagship literary programme, ‘Writers’ Week’.
The controversy centres on the decision by the Adelaide Festival board to remove Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah from the Writers’ Week line-up. The board said the move followed concerns about cultural sensitivities in the aftermath of a deadly shooting at a Jewish festival in Sydney’s eastern suburbs in December, which killed 15 people and was allegedly inspired by ISIS.
In a statement issued last week, the board stressed it was not suggesting Abdel-Fattah had any connection to the attack. However, it said her inclusion would not be culturally sensitive given her past public statements. The explanation immediately sparked backlash across the literary community, with critics accusing the festival of censorship and discrimination.
Abdel-Fattah described the decision as a “blatant and shameless act of anti-Palestinian racism and censorship,” calling attempts to link her presence to the Sydney attack “despicable.” Her removal triggered a chain reaction that rapidly engulfed the festival.
Within days, dozens of writers scheduled to appear at Writers’ Week withdrew in protest. By Tuesday, the number had reached around 180, including former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern, British author Zadie Smith, Australian novelist Helen Garner, and British-Australian writer Kathy Lette. The walkout effectively hollowed out the programme and placed the festival under intense public scrutiny.
The fallout quickly spread to the festival’s leadership. Over one weekend, four members of the eight-member board, including its chair, resigned without publicly detailing their reasons.
Shortly afterwards, the director of Writers’ Week, who had invited Abdel-Fattah to participate, also stepped down.
Subscribe to our newsletter and stay updated on the latest news and updates from around the Muslim world!
Hours after one of the most prominent resignations, the board issued a fresh statement apologising to Abdel-Fattah for “how the decision was represented” and announced that Writers’ Week could no longer proceed. “We recognise and deeply regret the distress this decision has caused,” the statement said. The board added that all remaining members would step down except one, in a move it said was intended to “secure the success” of the festival in future years.
Background to the controversy
Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah is a novelist, lawyer and academic who was invited to discuss her latest novel, Discipline, which she has described as “a cautionary tale about the cost of silence and cowardice.” Her writing and public commentary frequently address racism, Palestine and freedom of expression.
She has previously drawn criticism for remarks arguing that Zionists have “no claim or right to cultural safety” and for a 2024 post on X describing Israel as a “murderous Zionist colony.” Critics have repeatedly cited these statements as evidence that her views are inflammatory.
Further controversy arose over an image she shared on social media in the hours after the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, depicting a person parachuting with a Palestinian flag. Hamas fighters used paragliders during the assault.
Abdel-Fattah confirmed to Australia’s public broadcaster Australian Broadcasting Corporation that she had posted the image but said it was shared before the scale of the attack was known. “At that point, I had no idea about the death toll or what was happening on the ground. Of course, I do not support the killing of civilians,” she said.
Political pressure and lobbying
Abdel-Fattah has previously faced organised public campaigns. In 2024, opposition politicians and some prominent Jewish Australians called for the cancellation of research funding awarded to her. Following a letter from federal education minister Jason Clare, the funding was suspended while she was investigated for alleged breaches of grant rules. She was cleared last month.
Norman Schueler of the Jewish Community Council for South Australia said his organisation had written to the Adelaide Festival board urging Abdel-Fattah’s removal. “It was a very wise move,” he told the Adelaide Advertiser. After the walkout, he described withdrawing writers as “rather pathetic” and claimed their actions implied agreement with the view “that Israel should not exist.”
South Australian premier Peter Malinauskas, whose government is a key funder of the festival, said he “wholeheartedly” supported the decision to exclude Abdel-Fattah. He told the ABC he had made his views clear to the board but denied threatening funding or acting under pressure from Jewish lobby groups.
Free speech and accusations of hypocrisy
Louise Adler, the Jewish daughter of Holocaust survivors and a former board member, said the decision was taken “despite my strongest opposition.” She warned that arts boards with little experience had buckled under political pressure, arguing that art in the service of “social cohesion” risked becoming propaganda.
Abdel-Fattah said Australian cultural institutions had shown “utter contempt and inhumanity towards Palestinians,” adding: “The only Palestinians they will tolerate are silent and invisible ones.”
She has also faced accusations of double standards, with critics claiming she previously supported efforts to exclude New York Times journalist Thomas Friedman from the festival. Abdel-Fattah rejected the claim, saying Friedman had written language likening Arabs and Muslims to insects at a time when dehumanising rhetoric was being used to justify mass killing in Gaza.
Writers who withdrew said that even when they disagreed with Abdel-Fattah’s views, they defended her right to speak. Journalist Peter Greste said excluding her undermined the ability to hold difficult conversations, while Kathy Lette said audiences should be trusted to make up their own minds.
The board has said it is committed to rebuilding trust and safeguarding the festival’s cultural legacy. Abdel-Fattah dismissed the apology as “disingenuous,” writing: “The Bondi shooting does not mean I or anyone else has to stop advocating for an end to the illegal occupation and systematic extermination of my people. I am not the story. Palestine is.”
