Adelaide Festival has cancelled Randa Abdel-Fattahs Writers Week appearance, citing cultural sensitivity after the Bondi terrorist attacks, writes DrRosemary Sorensen.

YESTERDAY, 8 JANUARY 2026,Adelaide Festivalboard of directorsissued a statementcancelling the appearance of Sydney-based writer and academicRanda Abdel-Fattahat Adelaide Writers Week at the end of February, saying they consider her past statements to have compromised her scheduled appearance in the wake of theBondi murders.

Thereleaseon the Festival site states:

Unlike theBendigo Writers Festivalcancellation of Abdel-Fattah, which La Trobe University falsely claimed did not target her specifically, this announcement states unambiguously that the board has formed the judgement that we do not wish to proceed, although no evidence of these past statements is provided in support of their decision.

The Vice Chancellor of La Trobe University used the Bondi attack to absolve himself over the attempted censorship of writers due to speak at Bendigo Writers Festival back in August.

Like Bendigo and other cultural organisations before them, Adelaide Festival has now set up a sub-committee to oversee the ongoing board-led review, and guide decisions about Adelaide Writers Week in the near and longer terms.

Adelaide Writers Week is curated byLouise Adler, who stood firm in 2023 in the face of acampaign to oust herwhen she programmed Palestinian AmericanSusan Abulhawaand Palestinian poetMohammed El-Kurd. A huge audience turnout for these sessions confirmed Adlers commitment to providing courageous and brave spaces for discussion.

Since that stand, the capitulation of board members to defamatory claims that presenters who support Palestine against Israels continuing aggression are antisemitic has continued, cancelling the voices of writers, doctors, academics and performers. In the wake of Bondi and the political response capitalising on community grief, the lobbying to ban as hate speech any protest against Israel has ramped up enormously.

It is clear from the Adelaide Festival statement that the rhetoric about cultural sensitivity is now fixed on this definition. The board, led byTracey Whiting(director of a media marketing company) and including former Liberal SenatorAmanda Vanstoneand councillor/real estate agentMary Couros,statedthat they recognise our request to Dr Abdel-Fattah will be labelled and will cause discomfort and pressure to other participants.

IA requested clarification about what the Adelaide Festival board mean by claiming their request (did Abdel-Fattah have an option not to withdraw) will be labelled (what label are they anticipating?). No response has yet been received.

Clare Wright says La Trobe lacked moral courage in the Bendigo Writers Festival collapse and still hasnt apologised for its actions.

ProfessorClare Wright, a Jewish Australian like Louise Adler, who was programmed for multiple sessions at Writers Week, withdrew her participation soon after the board announcement. Her resignation sent to Adler called the boards decision cowardly and short-sighted.

As a Jewish Australian, I am shocked and insulted that the board could exploit the tragedy of Bondi to weaponise its much-loved and respected literary festival, Wright, who experienced a similar situation as a curator of Bendigo Writers Festival, said.

Wright added:

Adelaide Writers Week is scheduled from 28 February to 5 March. Writers programmed to appear includeZadie Smith,Kathy Lette, British-Iranian journalistChristiane Amanpour, historianMark Mazower(due to talk about what the term antisemitism means) andJacinda Ardern.

Australian writers includeEvelyn Araluen,Maxine Beneba Clarke,Bob Carr,Michelle de Kretser,Helen Garner,Melissa Lucashenko,Micaela Sahhar,Paul DaleyandJane Harper.

According to the board statement, a letter will be sent to participants and other key stakeholders shortly.

DrRosemary Sorensenis an IA columnist, journalist and founder of the Bendigo Writers Festival.