Particle.news
Download on the App Store
20 ARTICLES
·
5mo ago

Authors Boycott Adelaide Writers’ Week After Board Drops Palestinian-Australian Writer

Organisers say cultural sensitivity after the Bondi killings guided the call.

Palestinian Australian writer Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah has been cut from Adelaide Writers’ Week in the wake of the Bondi Beach terror attack.
Palestinian-Australian Author Randa Abdel-Fattah speaking on an Australian Broadcasting Corporation panel about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on May 27, 2021. (Screenshot)
Image
Image

Overview

  • Nearly 50 writers, including Zadie Smith, Percival Everett, Yanis Varoufakis and Masha Gessen, have withdrawn from the festival in protest.
  • The festival temporarily removed its Writers’ Week program from the website as it reworks the line-up following the withdrawals.
  • Public policy think tank the Australia Institute pulled its sponsorship and events, saying cancelling authors undermines open debate.
  • South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas said he "wholeheartedly" supports the board’s move, arguing Randa Abdel‑Fattah has advocated against the cultural safety of Zionists.
  • The board formed a subcommittee to review programming and consult external experts, while Abdel‑Fattah called the decision racist censorship and requested an apology and reinstatement.