TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Adelaide Festival, Australia's premier literary event, is grappling with a global writer boycott and a wave of board resignations following the controversial cancellation of an invitation to Palestinian-Australian author Randa Abdel-Fattah.
Organizers, as reported by Al Arabiya, claimed the decision to rescind Dr. Abdel-Fattah's invitation was driven by "cultural sensitivities" in the wake of the Bondi Beach mass shooting, which claimed the lives of 15 Jewish people.
The fallout has been swift and severe: several board members, including the festival’s chair, have stepped down, while legal representatives for the affected authors are demanding a formal explanation.
The festival, an annual cornerstone of the international cultural calendar, sparked the crisis last week when it informed Dr. Abdel-Fattah that it did not "wish to proceed" with her appearance at Writers' Week.
"Whilst we do not suggest in any way that Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah or her writings have any connection with the tragedy at Bondi, given her past statements we have formed the view that it would not be culturally sensitive to continue to program her at this unprecedented time so soon after Bondi," the festival organizers stated in an official release.
The festival board expressed being "shocked and saddened" by the December 14 mass shooting, which targeted a Jewish Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach.
While organizers maintained that the exclusion was not a decision taken lightly, Dr. Abdel-Fattah countered that the move was a "blatant and shameless act of anti-Palestinian racism."
In a subsequent statement, she characterized the festival's logic as a "despicable attempt to associate me with the Bondi massacre."
Speaking with the ABC last week, she described her withdrawal as "obscene," questioning how long Palestinians would be perceived as "threats and enemies" in the public space.
Her legal team at Marque Lawyers sent a formal letter to the festival on Sunday, demanding that organizers identify the specific statements that purportedly justified her exclusion. Managing partner Michael Bradley accused the festival of "trampling" on the author’s human rights and insisted that the board be held accountable for its actions.
Festival Chair Resigns
Abdel-Fattah has faced criticism from pro-Israel groups for statements regarding the Gaza crisis, including an October 2024 post on X stating, "The goal is decolonization and the end of this murderous Zionist colony."
Local media reported that her disinvitation led to more than 70 participants withdrawing from the festival, which runs from February 27 to March 15.
Among those boycotting is the prominent author and former Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis, who released a video on social media showing himself tearing up his invitation.
The internal pressure culminated in an extraordinary meeting on Saturday, where three board members resigned, followed by the immediate resignation of Festival Chair Tracey Whiting on Sunday.
“Recent decisions were bound by certain undertakings and my resignation enables the Adelaide Festival, as an organization, to refresh its leadership and its approach to these circumstances,” she said.
In the interim, the festival has temporarily suspended the publication of its Writers’ Week program while it overhauls its website and schedule.
Adelaide Supports Silencing of Palestinian Writer
The political fallout has mirrored the public divide. South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas noted that while he cannot legally direct board decisions, he "wholeheartedly" supported the exclusion. "The state government did not support the inclusion of Dr Abdel-Fattah on the Adelaide Writers’ Week program," he told local media.
Federal Resources Minister Madeleine King echoed this sentiment on Monday, January 12, 2026, expressing surprise that Dr. Abdel-Fattah was ever invited. King became the first federal minister to publicly back the disinvitation, aligning herself with the Premier's stance.
Conversely, Arts Minister Tony Burke took a more neutral path, describing such choices as internal matters for the festival.
From the opposition, Shadow Home Affairs Minister Jonno Duniam described the board’s decision as "absolutely correct," stating he had "no sympathy" for the writer. Meanwhile, Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young argued that the move had severely damaged South Australia’s reputation as an arts hub and questioned the federal government’s role in what she termed "political interference."
The Bondi Beach mass shooting, which served as the catalyst for the festival's decision, has no link to Palestinian groups. The perpetrators, Naveed Akram and his father Sajid Akram, are immigrants from India who have resided in Australia since 1998. The motive for the attack remains unconfirmed as the legal proceedings continue.
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