The Adelaide festival has removed Randa Abdel-Fattah, writer, academic, and so-called human rights advocate, from its lineup citing concerns over “cultural sensitivity.” And she is livid, coming out with this statement in response:
The first thing to take note of is how she immediately accuses organisers of racism, censorship, and associating her with the Bondi massacre. Crying “Islamophobia” is a strategy of choice whenever an actual terror supporter and/or Jew-hater suffers consequences for their despicable words and actions. We’ve seen it overseas and we are now seeing it more in Australia, especially with the recent creation of APAN’s “anti-palestinian racism” register.
But more than this: Randa Abdel-Fattah has misrepresented the Adelaide festival organizers’ decision to exclude her.
The Adelaide Festival Board is responsible for the delivery of Australia’s much-loved Adelaide’s Writers’ Week. As an organisation and as people, we have been shocked and saddened by the tragic events at Bondi. We have been further saddened by the national grief and the significant heightening of both community tensions and the community debate.
In this shared time of both mourning and reflection, we have spent the last weeks commencing a review across our current and planned operations and interactions through the lens of the current national community context and the role of Adelaide Festival in promoting community cohesion.
Consideration of the appropriate response to such a tragedy is a human exercise that we understand is subjective in nature. We also understand others will undoubtedly form different judgments. These judgments may likely even change as the landscape and context evolves.
As the Board responsible for the Adelaide Festival organisation and all Adelaide Writers’ Week events, staff, volunteers and participants, we have today advised scheduled writer Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah that the Board has formed the judgment that we do not wish to proceed with her scheduled appearance at next month’s Writers’ Week.
Whilst we do not suggest in any way that Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah’s or her writings have any connection with the tragedy at Bondi, given her past statements we have formed the view that it would not be culturally sensitive to continue to program her at this unprecedented time so soon after Bondi.
The Board has also now formally established a sub-committee to oversee the ongoing Board-led review, and guide decisions about Adelaide Writers’ Week in the near and longer terms. This includes ongoing engagement with relevant Government agencies and the appointment and/or advice of external experts.
This suite of decisions has been taken with the genuine view that they provide the best opportunity for the success and support of the Adelaide Festival, for Adelaide Writers’ Week and the communities we seek to serve and engage.
We understand these Board decisions will likely be disappointing to many in our community. We also recognise our request to Dr Abdel-Fattah will be labelled and will cause discomfort and pressure to other participants. These decisions have not been taken lightly.
Our only request is that our community is respectful to our staff and volunteers who have not formed part of our decision-making process and deserve nothing but ongoing support for their excellent work.
We have communicated our decisions to the State Government after having regular discussions post the tragic events at Bondi. The Board and Senior Executive will be communicating with all Adelaide Writers’ Week participants in coming days, along with other key stakeholders.
We hope to see you at Adelaide Writers’ Week.
The Adelaide Festival Board
In explicitly stating “we do not suggest in any way that Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah’s or her writings have any connection with the tragedy at Bondi,” Festival organizers are clearly not associating her with the Bondi massacre. What’s more, they have clearly stated the reason behind their decision as being that “it would not be culturally sensitive to continue to program her at this unprecedented time so soon after Bondi.”
And why did they arrive at this decision? I am guessing it has nothing to do with her being a palestinian Arab. Rather, it might have to do with helping publicise a leaked list of Jews on a WhatsApp website and publishing calls to persecute Jews, stating that Jews have “no claim or right to cultural safety,” and it is a “duty […] to ensure that every space Zionists enter is culturally unsafe for them.”
And/or her refusal to condemn an Islamic terrorist who murdered a Melbourne cafe owner in 2018, writing “I, an Australian Muslim, refuse to condemn the violence that took place on Bourke Street.To ask me to condemn is to strip me of my basic humanity.”
And/or her clapping along as a boy of primary school age chanted “intifada, intifada.”
And/or her changing her profile picture to a picture of a palestinian Arab paratrooper the day after the October 7 attacks.
And/or her saying “I don’t see them (Hamas) as a terrorist organisation.”
And/or her calling for an “end of Israel” and the “abolishment of the death cult of Zionism.”
In other words, the decision to exclude her wasn’t racism or censorship. And it certainly wasn’t an attempt to link her to the Bondi massacre.
It was a long-overdue act of basic responsibility.
