Adelaide Festival apologised to Palestinian Australian author Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah after withdrawing her invitation and cancelling Writers' Week when about 180 writers withdrew in protest. The board reversed its decision, offered an "unreserved" apology and said it would reinstate Abdel-Fattah's invitation for 2027. Abdel-Fattah accepted the apology, called for antiracism education and safeguards against political interference, and said she may attend if former director Louise Adler returns. The dispute has sparked a wider debate over board authority, free expression and institutional independence.
Adelaide Festival Apologises After Mass Boycott Over Exclusion of Palestinian Australian Author
Australian Palestinian writer Randa Abdel-Fattah is the author of 11 novels [Flavio Brancaleone/EPA]
Adelaide Festival has apologised to Palestinian Australian author Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah after initially withdrawing her invitation to speak at Adelaide Writers' Week and then cancelling the year's programme when roughly 180 writers withdrew in protest.
The festival board said on Thursday it had reversed its earlier decision to bar Abdel-Fattah "from participating as a speaker at Adelaide Writers' Week this year," and "unreservedly" apologised for the harm caused. The board added it would reinstate her invitation for the next Adelaide Writers' Week in 2027.
Board Response and Apology
In its statement the board acknowledged that "intellectual and artistic freedom is a powerful human right" and admitted it had fallen "well short" of upholding that principle. The board had previously said its initial decision was not "about identity or dissent" but reflected concerns about the breadth of freedom of expression in Australia following a recent terror attack.
Abdel-Fattah's Reaction
Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah, an award-winning author of 11 novels who is also a lawyer and sociologist, said she accepted the apology and would consider the invitation to appear in 2027. In a social media statement she described the apology as "acknowledgement of our right to speak publicly and truthfully about the atrocities that have been committed against the Palestinian people" and "a vindication of our collective solidarity and mobilisation against anti-Palestinian racism, bullying and censorship."
"I would agree to appear in a heartbeat if Louise Adler was the director again," Abdel-Fattah added, while noting she had not yet decided whether to accept the 2027 invitation.
Wider Fallout
The board announced separately that this year's Adelaide Writers' Week "can no longer go ahead as scheduled" after many authors said they would not appear. At least 180 writers — including prominent international and Australian figures — withdrew in solidarity with Abdel-Fattah, prompting the cancellation.
Louise Adler resigned as director of Adelaide Writers' Week after the board overrode her decision to invite Abdel-Fattah. Writing in The Guardian, Adler criticised the influence of "boards composed of individuals with little experience in the arts" and warned of the moral consequences of abandoning the principle of freedom of expression.
Context
The board linked its initial action to concerns about free expression following the Bondi Beach shooting in December, an attack that killed 15 people at a Jewish celebration. Australian police have said the two men charged over that shooting were "inspired" by ISIL (ISIS). Commentators also noted the attack comes five years after a gunman killed 51 worshippers at mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Aftermath and Calls for Reform
Abdel-Fattah used the episode to highlight broader issues, calling for "urgent antiracism education" and for public institutions to adopt safeguards against political interference by lobbyists. The controversy has ignited debate in Australia and internationally about the responsibilities of cultural boards, institutional independence, and protections for free speech and minority voices.
Adler warned that, in the wake of the Bondi atrocity, there has been a worrying tendency to curtail protest and constrain speech — developments she described with concern as having "alarming insouciance."
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