Overview
- A three‑page letter dated January 2 from South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas, published on January 18, urged the Adelaide Festival board to drop Randa Abdel‑Fattah as not in the public interest and warned of accusations of hypocrisy over prior programming decisions.
- The board rescinded Abdel‑Fattah’s invitation on January 8 citing cultural sensitivity after the Bondi attack, triggering a boycott by more than 180 participants, senior resignations, and cancellation of the 2026 Adelaide Writers’ Week.
- A newly constituted board later issued an unreserved apology to Abdel‑Fattah and invited her to appear in 2027, acknowledging harm caused by the festival’s handling of the matter.
- Abdel‑Fattah denies antisemitism and has served two defamation concerns notices on the premier, with the second linked to comments he made in a January 14 radio interview.
- Malinauskas has defended his stance as motivated by compassion and said he wrote the letter at the board chair’s request to formalise his concerns, while Abdel‑Fattah’s lawyer called the letter coercive and said it improperly tied her to the Bondi attack.