Adelaide Writers Week canceled as 180 speakers withdraw after the exclusion of a Palestinian writer

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Organizers of Australia’s largest free literary festival have canceled the weeklong event after most writers withdrew over the removal of an Australian Palestinian writer. The board of the Adelaide Festival disinvited Dr. Randa Abdel-Fattah, citing cultural sensitivities after an antisemitic mass shooting in Sydney in December. They said her writings had no connection to the tragedy. By Tuesday, most speakers, including Zadie Smith and Jacinda Ardern, had withdrawn. The festival director also resigned. The board apologized for how the decision was represented, but Abdel-Fattah called it “anti-Palestinian racism.” The controversy is unfolding amid a national debate on speech limits.

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