Key Takeaways:
- Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has pulled out of the 2026 Adelaide Writers’ Week in protest over the festival board’s decision to rescind its invitation to Palestinian-Australian academic Randa Abdel-Fattah.
- Over 180 participants, including bestselling authors and journalists, have also withdrawn from the event in support of Abdel-Fattah.
- The controversy surrounds the festival board’s decision to drop Abdel-Fattah from the lineup due to concerns over "cultural sensitivity" after the Bondi terror attack.
- The board’s decision has been met with widespread criticism, with many accusing them of censorship and silencing Palestinian voices.
Introduction to the Controversy
The 2026 Adelaide Writers’ Week has been embroiled in controversy after the festival board’s decision to rescind its invitation to Palestinian-Australian academic Randa Abdel-Fattah. The decision has sparked widespread outrage, with many participants, including former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, withdrawing from the event in protest. Ardern was scheduled to discuss her memoir with the ABC’s Sarah Ferguson on March 3, but has since pulled out, joining a growing list of international writers and commentators who have decided to boycott the event.
The Background to the Controversy
The row over Abdel-Fattah’s programming for the 2026 event erupted last Thursday when the festival board announced she had been dropped from the lineup due to concerns over "cultural sensitivity" after the Bondi terror attack. However, ructions within the board over her inclusion began months earlier, with Sydney businessman Tony Berg resigning from the board in October because Abdel-Fattah had been included in the 2026 event. Berg’s resignation email, sent to South Australian arts minister Andrea Michaels and the board’s chair Tracey Whiting, is critical of the writers’ week director, Louise Adler, accusing her of consistently programming writers who have an anti-Israel stance.
The Resignation of Tony Berg
Berg’s resignation email is scathing in its criticism of Adler, accusing her of cancelling New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman for the 2024 event after he published a controversial column comparing the Middle East conflict to the animal kingdom. Berg also accuses Adler of scheduling Abdel-Fattah at the 2026 event without warning the board, which he claims is a "patronising and dehumanising erasure of her identity". Berg’s resignation has sparked a heated debate, with many accusing him of trying to silence Palestinian voices and stifle free speech.
The Response from Randa Abdel-Fattah
Abdel-Fattah has responded to Berg’s allegations, accusing him of a "patronising and dehumanising erasure of my identity". She states that she is not "pro-Palestinian" but rather Palestinian, the daughter of a dispossessed Palestinian, and that she will continue to resist the state that is committing a "live-streamed genocide" against her people in Gaza. Abdel-Fattah’s response has been met with widespread support, with many praising her courage and conviction in the face of adversity.
The Fallout from the Controversy
The controversy has had significant fallout, with three festival board members and the chair, Whiting, resigning after the decision to cancel Abdel-Fattah’s engagements at the festival. The Adelaide Festival Corporation’s executive Julian Hobba has put out a brief statement, saying that the festival is "navigating a complex and unprecedented moment" and will share further updates as soon as possible. Former Adelaide festival artistic director and executive director Rob Brookman has also written an open letter to the board demanding that they reinstate Abdel-Fattah, which has been signed by 17 prominent arts leaders.
The Future of the Festival
The future of the festival is uncertain, with the board currently unable to make any decisions due to the loss of four of its seven voting members. The act which governs the Adelaide festival requires a minimum of two men and two women on the board, and until the arts minister appoints at least one new board member, the festival is in limbo. The controversy has sparked a heated debate about censorship, free speech, and the role of festivals in promoting diverse voices and perspectives. As the situation continues to unfold, it remains to be seen how the festival will recover from this controversy and whether it will be able to regain the trust of its participants and audience.