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Bombshell Resignation After Writer Axed
The festival dropped Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah citing cultural sensitivity after a terror attack, leading to over 180 withdrawals and multiple resignations, raising censorship and racism concerns.
- On Thursday, the Adelaide Festival board rescinded Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah's invitation, removing her from the Writers' Week line-up and taking down her profile from the Writers' Week website the same morning.
- After a weeks-long internal review of Writers' Week programming, the Adelaide Festival board said proceeding would not be culturally sensitive following the Bondi Beach terror attack and cited Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah's past statements.
- Since Abdel-Fattah's cancellation, more than 180 participants have withdrawn, including Jacinda Ardern, Zadie Smith, Percival Everett and Trent Dalton; Adelaide Writers' Week runs from February 28 to March 5.
- Following a crisis meeting, four of eight Adelaide Festival board members stepped down, including chairwoman Tracey Whiting, leaving only one man on the board and raising governance issues.
- With state funding at stake, Peter Malinauskas, South Australian Premier, and Madeleine King, Resources Minister, backed the board's decision while the Australia Institute withdrew support.
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18 Articles
Otago Daily Times+3 Reposted by 3 other sources
Adelaide writers' festival cancelled after swell of outrage
Adelaide Writers' Week is part of the broader Adelaide Festival. File photo: Getty One of Australia's premier writers' festivals has been cancelled after almost 200 speakers and its respected director pulled out over the dumping of a Palestinian-Australian novelist.
·Otago, New Zealand
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources18
Leaning Left7Leaning Right4Center3Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Left
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources lean Left
50% Left
L 50%
C 21%
R 29%
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