The Adelaide Festival has issued a formal apology to Australian-Palestinian author Randa Abdel Fattah after its decision to exclude her from Adelaide Writers’ Week led to a mass withdrawal of participants.
At least 180 writers pulled out of the event in solidarity with Abdel Fattah, forcing the festival to cancel the 2026 program.
In a statement on Thursday, the festival board said it was reversing its earlier decision and would reinstate Abdel Fattah’s invitation to speak at the next Adelaide Writers’ Week in 2027.
The board apologised “unreservedly for the harm” caused and acknowledged it had failed to uphold “intellectual and artistic freedom.”
Abdel Fattah, an award-winning author of 11 novels, as well as a lawyer and sociologist, accepted the apology but noted she had not yet decided whether to participate next year.
She described the apology as recognition of the right to speak publicly about atrocities committed against Palestinians and a vindication of the solidarity against anti-Palestinian racism, bullying, and censorship.
She added that the board’s initial decision highlighted deeper issues, including the need for antiracism education and stronger safeguards to prevent political interference by lobbyists in public institutions.
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