Adelaide Festival Apologizes, Invites Excluded Author After Free Speech Row
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The Adelaide Festival has publicly apologized to Palestinian-Australian writer Randa Abdel-Fattah. The new festival board also promised her an invitation to its 2027 Writers' Week event.
The apology follows a controversy over free speech. Last year, then-board member Louise Adler resigned. She said she was leaving over concerns about censorship at the festival.
A former festival board member has now accused Adler of hypocrisy. This accusation came as the apology was issued.
Abdel-Fattah accepted the apology immediately. She posted on Instagram that it was a vindication. She said it showed the success of collective action against anti-Palestinian racism, bullying, and censorship.