Adelaide festival did not remove Jewish columnist from 2024 program after academic request

The Adelaide Festival board rejected a 2024 request to remove New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, and the board later removed Randa Abdel-Fattah from the 2026 program, a decision the state premier publicly supported.

The Adelaide Festival board rejected a 2024 petition to remove New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, but in 2026 the board removed Palestinian Australian academic Randa Abdel-Fattah from that year's program. The 2024 petition was sent by Abdel-Fattah and nine other academics and was formally declined in a letter signed by board chair Tracey Whiting. In its 2026 statement the board cited concerns about cultural sensitivity following the Bondi tragedy and referred to Abdel-Fattah's past statements. South Australian premier Peter Malinauskas said the board had previously removed a Jewish writer in 2024 and expressed support for the board's 2026 decision. Key facts: - On 6 February 2024 Randa Abdel-Fattah and nine other academics asked the Adelaide Festival board to rescind Thomas Friedman's invitation to contribute online to Adelaide Writers' Week. - On 9 February 2024 the festival board, in a letter signed by chair Tracey Whiting, rejected that request and said Friedman was no longer participating due to last-minute scheduling issues, while noting the seriousness of cancelling a programmed writer. - In January 2026 the board removed Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah from the Adelaide Writers' Week program, saying it would not be culturally sensitive to program her so soon after the Bondi tragedy and that the decision related to her past statements rather than any suggestion of a link to the event. - Premier Peter Malinauskas publicly said the board had previously removed a Jewish writer in 2024 and supported the board's decision to remove Abdel-Fattah; News Corp picked up the premier's remarks and Guardian Australia reported more than 70 participants had withdrawn from the 2026 event. - Abdel-Fattah said she had earlier called for Friedman's removal in 2024 and described her own cancellation as anti-Palestinian racism and censorship; the board has said its 2024 response emphasised artistic freedom of expression. Summary: The board's 2024 refusal to rescind Thomas Friedman's invitation and its 2026 removal of Randa Abdel-Fattah have prompted debate about consistency, artistic freedom and cultural sensitivity. More than 70 participants have withdrawn from the 2026 event, and how the festival will proceed is undetermined at this time.