World-renowned writers' festival cancelled in wake of escalating controversy

Australian Community Media

Days of scandal saw 180 writers pull out of attending the event, which was meant to be held in South Australia February 28 to March 5, 2026. This video includes ACM-produced voiceover powered by AI.

Transcript

00:00Adelaide Writers Week 2026 has been officially cancelled.

00:05It follows a mass boycott of the event by invited authors

00:08in response to the rescinding of an invitation

00:11to Palestinian-Australian writer Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah.

00:16Days of scandal saw 180 writers pull out of attending the event,

00:22which was meant to be held in South Australia

00:24from February 28th to March 5th, 2026.

00:28The writers said they would stand in solidarity

00:32against the perceived censorship of Randa Abdel-Fattah,

00:36who has been a vocal opponent of Israel.

00:39I was cancelled in an email based on my presence being a trigger

00:44and being framed as culturally insensitive

00:47in a direct link to the Bondi terrorist atrocity.

00:52That is racism.

00:53On January 8th, the Writers' Festival Board put out a statement

00:57explaining the rescinding of Abdel-Fattah's invitation

01:00by saying it would

01:02not be culturally sensitive to continue to program the author

01:07at this unprecedented time, so soon after Bondi,

01:12referencing the terror attack where 15 people were killed

01:15during a Jewish celebration of Hanukkah.

01:19Following the cancellation of the event,

01:21the board released a statement saying,

01:23we took this action out of respect for a community experiencing the pain

01:29from a devastating event.

01:31Instead, this decision has created more division,

01:35and for that we express our sincere apologies.

01:39The Adelaide Festival Board apologised to Abdel-Fattah for,

01:44quote,

01:44how the decision was represented.

01:48The statement read,

01:50we also apologise to Dr. Randa Abdel-Fattah

01:53for how the decision was represented,

01:56and reiterate this is not about identity or dissent,

02:00but rather a continuing rapid shift in the national discourse

02:04around the breadth of freedom of expression in our nation,

02:08following Australia's worst terror attack in history.

02:12In a post to Instagram,

02:15Abdel-Fattah said she rejected the board's apology.

02:18She said,

02:19it is clear that the board's regret

02:21extends to how the message of my cancellation was conveyed,

02:26not the decision itself.

02:28But I think this is a landmark,

02:30a watershed moment in the history of Adelaide Writers Week.

02:34In the furore,

02:35former Festival Board chairperson Louise Adler resigned.

02:39Adler is a member of the Jewish Council of Australia's advisory committee

02:44and is herself the daughter of Holocaust survivors.

02:49In an open letter,

02:50Adler said,

02:51the Adelaide Festival Board's decision,

02:54despite my strongest opposition,

02:57to disinvite the Australian-Palestinian writer,

03:00Randa Abdel-Fattah from Adelaide Writers Week,

03:03weakens freedom of speech

03:05and is the harbinger of a less free nation,

03:09where lobbying and political pressure

03:11determine who gets to speak and who doesn't.

03:15I think when we look back on this history,

03:18we will see a masterclass in poor governance,

03:22an act of cultural vandalism,

03:25a moment when 180 writers said,

03:29we will not support censorship,

03:31we will not support

03:32the denigration of one particular writer.

03:38The South Australian government

03:40has since announced the reappointment

03:42of the past chairperson, Judy Potter,

03:45who had previously led the board

03:47from 2016 to 2023.

03:50So that we can ensure

03:52that the 27 writers' week

03:54will be full, beautiful

03:55and down in that park in all its glory.

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