Pro-Palestine Author Threatens Adelaide Festival With Possible Lawsuit After Ouster

A Palestinian Australian author banned from the Adelaide Festival’s Writers’ Week due to her stance on Israel has brought in lawyers as tensions escalate.

Randa Abdel-Fattah was part of the line-up for the event starting Feb. 28, but last week, organisers announced that it would be “culturally insensitive” to involve Abdel-Fattah so soon after the Bondi Beach terrorist attack that targeted a Jewish Hannukah event.

Abdel-Fattah has previously called for the “end of Israel” and shared a social media post seemingly celebrating the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas terror attacks.

The decision to ban Abdel-Fattah’s attendance was met with repugnance by a number of remaining invited authors and writers, with now over 70 of them withdrawing in protest.

Festival board member and chair Tracey Whiting also joined the group with her withdrawal, as well as three other board members.

Abdel-Fattah’s lawyer Michael Bradley of Marque Lawyers said the festival board had “trampled” on his client’s human rights and would need to answer for their actions.

“(The) moral indefensibility of the Adelaide Festival board’s actions has been amply evidenced by the reaction it’s provoked,” he told AAP.

In a letter penned to Whiting, Bradley queried what exact sentiments by Abdel-Fattah were considered in the board’s decision-making.

“Please ensure that your organisation and each individual member of the board retains all documents in their possession including emails, text messages and content on disappearing messaging apps that relate to the decision to exclude Dr. Abdel-Fattah,” he says in the letter.

“You are each now on notice that these documents may be required for the purpose of litigation.”

In posting the letter openly, Abdel-Fattah faced criticism from some commenters, including the brother-in-law of Omri Miran, who was one of the hostages taken by Hamas on Oct. 7 before eventually being freed.

Moshe Emilio Lavi accused Abdel-Fattah of celebrating Oct. 7.

“You threatened to make Jews who believe in Jewish self-determination feel unsafe,” he wrote on X.

“You are a nefarious agent and have no place in Western civilisation.”

Jewish groups including the Australian Jewish Assocation have also been critical of Abdel-Fattah.

“Randa Abdel-Fattah should have never been invited to speak at the Adelaide Writers festival. Abdel-Fattah glorified the October 7 massacre and has in the past said that Zionists ‘have no claim or right to cultural safety’,” he told The Epoch Times.

In its latest statement, the Adelaide Festival said it was currently navigating the situation.

“Following the Adelaide Festival Board’s decision on Thursday, 8 January and the significant community response, Adelaide Writers’ Week and Adelaide Festival are navigating a complex and unprecedented moment and will share further updates as soon as we are able,” their spokesperson said.