Overview
- Abdel‑Fattah’s lawyers issued a formal concerns notice under Australia’s Defamation Act to Premier Peter Malinauskas, giving him 28 days to respond or seek to make amends.
- Malinauskas defended his public remarks as grounded in compassion, denied applying pressure on the festival board, and said the board acted independently.
- Adelaide Writers’ Week was canceled after roughly 180 scheduled authors withdrew in protest over Abdel‑Fattah’s removal, and the board apologized and then resigned; Abdel‑Fattah rejected the apology as disingenuous.
- Writers’ Week director Louise Adler resigned over free‑speech concerns, and executive director Julian Hobba said he had advised the board not to rescind Abdel‑Fattah’s invitation; former chair Judy Potter will return to lead a new festival board.
- Debate continues over alleged lobbying and political influence, with conservative Jewish groups citing Abdel‑Fattah’s past social media posts as justification for her exclusion, claims that supporters say conflate criticism of Israel with antisemitism.