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Australian festival apologises for cancelling Palestinian author
- On Thursday, the Adelaide Festival Corporation apologised and announced it would reinstate Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah's invitation to Adelaide Writers' Week in 2027.
- The festival board said Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah's inclusion was not culturally sensitive due to her past remarks and posts tied to October 7, 2023, amid political pressure from Norman Schueler and South Australian premier Peter Malinauskas.
- By Tuesday, withdrawals reached around 180, including former prime minister Jacinda Ardern and authors Zadie Smith, Helen Garner and Kathy Lette, leading to Writers' Week cancellation and leadership resignations.
- Almost $50,000 has been raised to help cover Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah's legal fees as she issued a concerns notice under the Defamation Act, threatened legal action, and accepted the apology while considering the 2027 invitation.
- The controversy has highlighted free speech and censorship debates as Australia's premier annual cultural event faced turmoil, with organisers acknowledging failures and pledging to rebuild trust while most Adelaide Festival Corporation board members step down.
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21 Articles
The Courier+4 Reposted by 4 other sources
Dumped author to consider festival return after apology
A major writers' festival is in damage control as it apologises for dumping a Palestinian-Australian author in a...
·Ballarat City, Australia
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Total News Sources21
Leaning Left7Leaning Right5Center4Last UpdatedBias Distribution44% Left
Bias Distribution
- 44% of the sources lean Left
44% Left
L 44%
C 25%
R 31%
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