The Adelaide Festival has sparked national debate after removing prominent Palestinian advocate and academic Randa Abdel-Fattah from its 2026 Writers’ Week lineup, citing concerns over “cultural sensitivity” following a review prompted by the recent Bondi attack.
The festival, one of Australia’s leading arts events encompassing music, theatre, talks, and literature, confirmed that Abdel-Fattah had been scheduled to appear for the second time after participating in multiple sessions in 2023. In a statement released on Thursday, the festival board said it had been “shocked and saddened by the tragic events at Bondi” and that community tensions had “significantly heightened” as a result.
“As the Board responsible for the Adelaide Festival organisation and all Adelaide Writers’ Week events, staff, volunteers and participants, we have today advised scheduled writer Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah that the Board has formed the judgment that we do not wish to proceed with her scheduled appearance at next month’s Writers’ Week,” the statement read.
Abdel-Fattah responded swiftly, condemning the decision as “blatant and shameless” anti-Palestinian racism and an act of censorship. She criticised the board for attempting to associate her with the Bondi attack, calling the suggestion “despicable.”
“The Adelaide Writers Festival Board has stripped me of my humanity and agency, reducing me to an object onto which others can project their racist fears and smears,” Abdel-Fattah said. “The Board’s reasoning suggests that my mere presence is ‘culturally insensitive’; that I, a Palestinian who had nothing to do with the Bondi atrocity, am somehow a trigger for those in mourning and that I should therefore be persona non grata in cultural circles because my very presence as a Palestinian is threatening and ‘unsafe’.”
She went on to accuse Australian arts institutions of displaying “utter contempt and inhumanity towards Palestinians” since October 2023, arguing that the only Palestinians tolerated in public discourse are those who are “silent and invisible.”
The festival board said its decision did not imply any direct connection between Abdel-Fattah or her writings and the Bondi tragedy. Instead, the board cited her “past statements” and concluded that continuing to program her “would not be culturally sensitive” in the current national context.
“We understand these Board decisions will likely be disappointing to many in our community,” the statement read, adding that staff and volunteers should not bear blame for the decision. A subcommittee has been formed to oversee ongoing reviews and guide future festival programming, including the appointment of external experts.
The decision quickly drew backlash from writers, sponsors, and arts organisations. The Australia Institute announced its withdrawal of sponsorship for the 2026 event, arguing that “censoring or cancelling authors is not in the spirit of an open and free exchange of ideas.”
Former Adelaide Writers’ Week director Jo Dyer described the move on social media as “appalling” and predicted it would have “far-reaching consequences.” Among the first writers to publicly withdraw from the festival in protest was Stella Prize-winning poet Evelyn Araluen, who called the decision “a devastating betrayal” of the festival’s democratic ethos.
“I am so disappointed to witness yet another absurd and irrational capitulation to the demands of a genocidal foreign state from the Australian arts sector,” Araluen wrote. “Erasing Palestinians from public life in Australia won’t prevent antisemitism. Removing Palestinians from writers festivals won’t prevent antisemitism. I refuse to participate in this spectacle of censorship.”
First Nations academic and writer Chelsea Watego also signalled her dissent, sharing the 2026 Writers’ Week lineup with her own name crossed out. The publisher Pink Shorts Press condemned Abdel-Fattah’s removal as “completely at odds” with the festival’s history of engaging in critical discourse and said it was reconsidering its participation.
Abdel-Fattah has previously faced scrutiny over her commentary on Israel, including allegations by some political figures and media outlets that she made inflammatory statements. Last year, she was cleared of any wrongdoing after investigations into conflicts of interest and research funding at Macquarie University. The Australian Research Council also lifted a suspension on an $870,000 research grant in her favour following a preliminary review.
Despite this, the festival board defended its decision, saying the review had considered “current and planned operations and interactions through the lens of the current national community context and the role of Adelaide Festival in promoting community cohesion.” The board acknowledged that judgments in such matters are inherently subjective and that “others will undoubtedly form different judgments.”
The controversy comes at a time when global political tensions, particularly surrounding the Israel-Palestine conflict, are highly polarising in Australia’s cultural and political spheres. Abdel-Fattah’s removal has reignited debates about freedom of expression, representation, and the role of arts festivals in fostering open dialogue.
More than 150 local and international writers remain scheduled for Adelaide Writers’ Week, including Palestinian poet Najwan Darwish and Greek economist and political commentator Yanis Varoufakis, who has been outspoken in his criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza.
As discussions continue, the Adelaide Festival board and senior executives have promised ongoing communication with all participants to navigate the unfolding situation, which shows no immediate signs of resolution.
