The board announced the cancellation on Thursday, stressing no link between Abdel-Fattah and the December 14, 2025, ISIS-inspired shooting at a Hanukkah festival, but pointed to her 2023 rally chants like ‘globalise the intifada’ amid national trauma.
Abdel-Fattah called it anti-Palestinian racism and censorship, while over a dozen writers—including Jane Caro, Peter Greste, Maxine Beneba Clarke, and Omar Musa—withdrew in protest, alongside at least one sponsor.
South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas supported the board for prioritising cultural safety, highlighting tensions over free speech and community cohesion as the February 27 to March 15 festival presses on.
