WELLINGTON, New Zealand
Organizers of Australia’s largest free literary festival, Adelaide Writers’ Week, canceled the event Tuesday after more than 180 authors and speakers withdrew in protest over the disinvitation of a prominent Palestinian-Australian writer.
The controversy erupted on Jan. 8 when the festival’s board rescinded the invitation to Dr. Randa Abdel-Fattah, a lawyer, academic, and author, citing “her previous statements” and the need for cultural sensitivity “so soon after” an antisemitic mass shooting in Sydney.
The board stressed that neither Abdel-Fattah nor her work was linked to the tragedy but did not specify which statements prompted the decision.
Abdel-Fattah condemned the move as an act of “censorship” and argued the announcement itself implied her “mere presence” was deemed provocative.
The wave of withdrawals by the majority of scheduled speakers forced the cancellation, marking a dramatic climax to a dispute that has become a flashpoint in Australia’s tense national debate over free speech, safety, and cultural expression following the Bondi attack.
By James Kisoo
