SYDENY: A top Australian arts festival has seen the withdrawal of dozens of writers in a backlash against its decision to bar an Australian Palestinian author after the Bondi Beach mass shooting, as moves to curb antisemitism spur free speech concerns. The shooting which killed 15 people at a Jewish Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Dec. 14 sparked nationwide calls to tackle antisemitism. Police say the alleged gunmen were inspired by Daesh.

About 100 writers and four board members quit Adelaide Festival after it barred author Randa Abdel-Fattah.

More than 70 prominent figures are boycotting the Adelaide Festival for dropping Palestinian-Australian author Randa Abdel-Fattah in the wake of the Bondi attack