‘Not Culturally Sensitive’: Palestinian-Australian Author Dropped From Festival After Bondi Terror Attack

The writer says the decision amounts to racism.

Demonstrators march through the streets against Israeli strikes in Gaza and Lebanon at a protest rally in the central business district of Sydney, Australia, on Sept. 29, 2024. Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty Images

Palestinian Australian writer Randa Abdel-Fattah, who has been a vocal critic of Israel, has been removed from the guest list for the Writers’ Week program at the Adelaide Festival, with organisers concerned her public statements could make her appearance culturally insensitive so soon after the Bondi terror attack.

In a statement, the Adelaide Festival Board noted that the decision was not intended to link Abdel-Fattah to the violence.