The Adelaide Writers' Week, touted as a celebration of social cohesion, devolved into an all-out war of words, culminating in its cancellation. The conflict began with the discreet exit of Tony Berg, a self-described Zionist and prominent festival benefactor, who accused the festival's leadership of presiding over a "blatantly one-sided" mission that had traded open debate for a "vendetta against Israel and Zionism."
Berg's resignation letter was just the beginning, as allegations of racism and hypocrisy flung by all sides ensued. The festival's director, Louise Adler, was at the centre of the storm, with some accusing her of leading an anti-Zionist charge. Meanwhile, Palestinian Australian academic Randa Abdel-Fattah, whose invitation to the 2026 event was withdrawn less than two weeks ago, claimed she was being unfairly targeted for her views.
The situation spiralled out of control as a global literary mutiny erupted, with over 170 writers and authors boycotting the festival. The likes of Zadie Smith, Percival Everett, and Yanis Varoufakis joined Abdel-Fattah in condemning the festival's handling of the situation.
In the midst of this chaos, South Australia Premier Peter Malinauskas delivered a now-infamous "Bondi analogy," comparing Abdel-Fattah to a far-right Zionist who would be excluded from a Sydney mosque. However, his remarks were met with swift condemnation, including a show cause notice to Malinauskas over alleged defamation.
As the festival corporation announced its collapse, a new skeleton board was formed, featuring Brookman – one of the festival's fiercest critics – as chair. The board vowed to make amends by inviting Abdel-Fattah back next year and publicly apologising for her exclusion.
However, Abdel-Fattah isn't finished with Malinauskas yet. She has accused him of bullying and lies, citing an "extraordinary imbalance" in the use of power. Despite this, the premier remains unrepentant, saying his motivation came from a desire to promote civil discourse and compassion.
The Adelaide Writers' Week's downfall serves as a stark reminder that even in a city renowned for its gentility, free speech and difficult ideas can be silenced in the name of social cohesion.
Berg's resignation letter was just the beginning, as allegations of racism and hypocrisy flung by all sides ensued. The festival's director, Louise Adler, was at the centre of the storm, with some accusing her of leading an anti-Zionist charge. Meanwhile, Palestinian Australian academic Randa Abdel-Fattah, whose invitation to the 2026 event was withdrawn less than two weeks ago, claimed she was being unfairly targeted for her views.
The situation spiralled out of control as a global literary mutiny erupted, with over 170 writers and authors boycotting the festival. The likes of Zadie Smith, Percival Everett, and Yanis Varoufakis joined Abdel-Fattah in condemning the festival's handling of the situation.
In the midst of this chaos, South Australia Premier Peter Malinauskas delivered a now-infamous "Bondi analogy," comparing Abdel-Fattah to a far-right Zionist who would be excluded from a Sydney mosque. However, his remarks were met with swift condemnation, including a show cause notice to Malinauskas over alleged defamation.
As the festival corporation announced its collapse, a new skeleton board was formed, featuring Brookman – one of the festival's fiercest critics – as chair. The board vowed to make amends by inviting Abdel-Fattah back next year and publicly apologising for her exclusion.
However, Abdel-Fattah isn't finished with Malinauskas yet. She has accused him of bullying and lies, citing an "extraordinary imbalance" in the use of power. Despite this, the premier remains unrepentant, saying his motivation came from a desire to promote civil discourse and compassion.
The Adelaide Writers' Week's downfall serves as a stark reminder that even in a city renowned for its gentility, free speech and difficult ideas can be silenced in the name of social cohesion.
i dont get why they couldnt just have a debate without all the drama... i mean i know everyone has their own opinions but come on! and what's with this whole "social cohesion" thing? isnt that just code for "we dont like to talk about the hard stuff"? 
anyway, i was thinking of getting a dog and im not sure if i should get one that needs a lot of exercise or one thats happy with just chillin at home... do you guys have any dogs 
. and now we're left with a bunch of hurt feelings, cancelled events, and a premier who thinks he's above scrutiny 
. but hey, i guess that's the price we pay for wanting to avoid controversy and discomfort 
. maybe next year's festival will be more mindful of what it means to foster open debate and not just pander to whatever's 'socially acceptable' right now 
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. Newsflash: you can't just invite a writer who's got strong opinions on Israel and Zionism without being prepared for the fallout 
. And what's with the whole "social cohesion" thing? It sounds like they were more worried about not offending anyone than actually having a real conversation about important issues 
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. It'll be interesting to see how that plays out. One thing's for sure: the Adelaide Writers' Week will never be the same again 
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. And now the premier is claiming he wanted to promote civil discourse? Give me a break 
. Not sure what's going on behind the scenes but I'm not buying it 
. The Adelaide Writers' Week may have devolved into chaos but at least it sparked some real conversations about free speech and power imbalance 
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. Being unfairly targeted for her views is no joke, especially when you're already an expert in the field. And Malinauskas' response was just... 
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. All this drama over Tony Berg's exit and Randa Abdel-Fattah's exclusion from the festival just highlights how polarizing some issues can be 
. And in the end, we're left with a board that's trying to make amends by inviting Abdel-Fattah back - but will it be too little, too late? 
. And what really got my goat was the Bondi analogy from Malinauskas - who does he think he is, comparing someone to a far-right extremist just to silence them? 
. But what's concerning is how the festival itself went from being a celebration of open debate to an all-out smear campaign against Abdel-Fattah and her views 
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. And I'm loving that the new board of directors is trying to make amends by inviting her back next year and apologizing for the mess they made 
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. I guess this is a stark reminder that free speech still needs defending, even in places like Adelaide 
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. I mean, Peter Malinauskas' comments about Randa Abdel-Fattah were just plain ridiculous 
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. As an Aussie who loves literature and free speech, it's disheartening to see how quickly things escalated into a big mess. I think we need to be careful not to stifle discussion just to avoid hurting someone's feelings, you know? It's like, can't we have a debate without getting all emotional about it? 
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. But you know who really gets me going? The Premier's analogy... I mean, come on! 
Using a mosque as a comparison to exclude someone from an event is just low. It's like he thought he was being clever or something. Newsflash: it wasn't 
#SocialCohesionGoneWrong. It's like, you wanna promote unity but not when it comes down to differing opinions or perspectives 
#FreeSpeechMatters. The fact that a bunch of writers and authors took a stand against it shows that people are willing to speak up even if it means going against the crowd 
#Priorities.
#HopeForACBetterFuture.