Jewish leaders slam Adelaide Festival for reinstating Abdel-Fattah

The Adelaide Festival Corporation has reversed its decision to exclude activist Randa Abdel-Fattah from Adelaide Writers’ Week, reinstating her invitation to speak at the 2027 event and issuing an unreserved apology.

The decision by the newly appointed festival board on Thursday drew fierce criticism from Jewish community leaders, who pointed to Abdel-Fattah’s record of celebrating the October 7 massacre and refusing to condemn Hamas.

Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council national chairman Mark Leibler said it was “nothing short of grotesque” that the festival board had decided to apologise for rescinding the invitation and invite her to speak at the next event in 2027.

“She has, among other things: called on all who oppose racism ‘to ensure that every space Zionists enter is culturally unsafe for them’; changed her social media profile picture on October 8, 2023 to a paraglider to signify the use of paragliders by Hamas terrorists to breach Israel’s borders on October 7, 2023; led young children chanting for intifada; dismissed the accounts of horrific rapes on that day as Zionists peddling ‘rape atrocity propaganda’; taken part in the doxxing of 600 Jewish creatives; when invited to do so has specifically refused to condemn Hamas; and expressed her wish that Israel be destroyed in 2025,” Leibler wrote on LinkedIn.

Abdel-Fattah has posted that Zionists have “no claim or right to cultural safety” and stated “To hell with you all. Every last Zionist. May you never know a second’s peace in your sadistic miserable lives.”