One of Australia's biggest cultural festivals has been left in disarray after a decision to disinvite a prominent Australian-Palestinian writer, triggering a massive backlash and mass exodus from fellow authors.
The board of the Adelaide Festival last week said Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah, a vocal critic of Israel, had been removed from its Writers' Week lineup due to "sensitivities" after the shooting of 15 people – by gunmen allegedly inspired by the Islamic State militant group – at a Jewish festival at Bondi Beach in December.
Though the Adelaide Festival's board said they "do not suggest in any way" that Abdel-Fattah had "any connection with the tragedy at Bondi", they made the decision that it would not be "culturally sensitive" to include her "given her past statements".
She called the decision to exclude her a "blatant and shameless act of anti-Palestinian racism and censorship" and the attempt to link her with the Bondi attack "despicable".
In the following days, dozens of other writers scheduled to appear withdrew from the festival. By Tuesday the list had jumped to 180, including former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, British author Zadie Smith, US-Russian journalist Masha Gessen, beloved Australian writer Helen Garner and British-Australian novelist Kathy Lette. Many publicly criticised the decision as an attack on free speech.
