Writers Withdraw from Australian Festival Following Cancellation of Palestinian Author's Invitation

Writers Boycott After Randa Abdel-Fattah's Participation is Cancelled

Dozens of writers, four council members, and a sponsor have withdrawn from a prestigious arts festival in Australia following the cancellation of an invitation to Palestinian-Australian author Randa Abdel-Fattah, which came after the tragedy at Bondi Beach. The Adelaide Festival confirmed on Monday that its president and three council members have resigned after the decision to uninvite Abdel-Fattah from Writers Week in February.

Festival CEO Julian Hobba stated that the organization is navigating a "complex and unprecedented moment" following the community's significant response to the council's decision. In addition to council members, nearly 100 of the 124 participants have withdrawn, leaving the festival in uncertainty, according to local reports.

The festival council announced on Thursday that it would rescind Randa Abdel-Fattah's invitation, citing that it would not be culturally sensitive to proceed with her scheduling so soon after the Bondi tragedy. The massacre, which claimed the lives of 15 people during a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney, has prompted nationwide calls to combat antisemitism. Abdel-Fattah, an academic at Macquarie University researching Islamophobia and Palestine, described this as a "blatant and shameless act of anti-Palestinian racism and censorship."

Among the writers who withdrew are former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and former Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis, as well as renowned authors like Zadie Smith and M Gessen, who have shown their support through various actions on social media. Varoufakis posted a video on platform X showing him destroying his invitation.

The Australia Institute condemned the festival organizers' decision, labeling it as “pure and ugly politics,” and announced that it would withdraw as a sponsor of the event. Rights advocates have warned that antisemitic sentiments, as well as anti-Islam and anti-immigration feelings, are on the rise in Australia, and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has faced criticism for lacking decisive action in this regard.