Australian festival chief resigns over banned Palestinian author

Australian writers – (Special Correspondent / Web Desk) – The director of a major Australian writers’ festival resigned on Tuesday in protest after the board decided to cancel a scheduled appearance by Palestinian-Australian author Randa Abdel-Fattah.

The decision prompted a wave of boycotts, including by former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

Louise Adler, the Writers’ Week director, also stepped down, citing pressure from “extreme and repressive pro-Israel lobbyists.”

In an open letter to The Guardian, she said claims of the arts being “unsafe” are often a way to silence dissenting voices, noting that this appeared to target only the Palestinian guest.

The festival board confirmed it would not proceed with Abdel-Fattah’s session despite Adler’s “strongest opposition.” Abdel-Fattah has previously drawn criticism for posts advocating decolonization and opposing Zionism.

The festival board said it was “shocked and saddened” by the December 14 mass shooting at a Jewish festival on Bondi Beach, which killed 15 people, and its decision to exclude Abdel-Fattah was not taken lightly.

But the shunned author and academic said it was a “blatant and shameless act of anti-Palestinian racism”.

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It was a “despicable attempt to associate me with the Bondi massacre”, she said in a statement.

New Zealand’s Ardern on Monday joined some 180 artists and participants who have pulled out, a festival spokesperson told local media.