The Adelaide Writers' Week has officially been abandoned following a mass boycott from invited authors - including all First Nations authors - protesting the removal of a Palestinian Australian author from the lineup.
The festival's board announced it had dumped Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah, who had been scheduled to discuss her new book Discipline, last week.
A rapidly accelerating exodus of other guests followed, including a boycott by all First Nations writers.
On Tuesday, the board confirmed the 2026 festival would no longer proceed in the wake of the boycott and the resignation of all board members, also offering Dr Abdel-Fattah an apology.
Taking to her social media, Dr Abdel-Fattah has publicly rejected the board's mea culpa, labelling it "disingenuous".
"It adds insult to injury," she posted to Instagram on Tuesday.
"It is clear that the board's regret extends to how the message of my cancellation was conveyed, not the decision itself," she added.
On Wednesday, lawyers representing Abdel-Fattah confirmed the author had also issued a concerns notice to South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas over comments he made regarding her removal from the festival.
In a statement posted to Instagram, Abdel-Fattah said the premier had made repeated public comments about her character in the week following her cancellation, despite never having met or contacted her.
She said his remarks were based on claims promoted by media outlets and advocacy groups, rather than any direct knowledge of her work or views.
"This was a vicious personal assault on me, a private citizen, by the highest public official in South Australia," she said.
"It was defamatory and it terrified me."
Abdel-Fattah said the matter escalated after the premier made comments that she said suggested she was an extremist terrorist sympathiser and linked her to the Bondi terror attack.
At a press conference on Wednesday, the premier did not appear to back down from his earlier comments.
“I’ve been very transparent about my views of things and the board has made an independent decision themselves," he told reporters.
"I think the whole circumstances that have played out have been unfortunate but my advocacy has always been about making sure that people treat each other with decency and respect.
"Knowing that others have been advocating against cultural safety, I feel as if I had no choice but to form the view that I did.
“The board has made its own judgements and opinions to which only they can account for, and that sits okay with me.”
A week of controversy
The board previously defended its decision to cancel Dr Abdel-Fattah's appearance, saying it would not be "culturally sensitive" in the wake of the Bondi massacre on 14 December.
This week the board said its decision had been made "out of respect for a community experiencing the pain from a devastating event," but acknowledged it had instead created more division.
"We recognise and deeply regret the distress this decision has caused to our audience, artists and writers, donors, corporate partners, the government and our own staff and people," it said in a statement released on Tuesday.
Among the scores of authors who withdrew were several of the country's most prestigious First Nations writers, including Melissa Lucashenko, poet Evelyn Araluen, Amy McQuire and Chelsea Watego.
Adelaide Writers' Week director Louise Alder also announced her resignation on Tuesday morning.
In an open letter published by The Guardian, Ms Adler said she could not be party to silencing writers.
"The Adelaide Festival board's decision - despite my strongest opposition - to disinvite the Australian Palestinian writer Randa Abdel-Fattah from Adelaide Writers' Week weakens freedom of speech and is the harbinger of a less free nation," she wrote.
New board appointed
On Tuesday the South Australian government announced Judy Potter - who previously led the board from 2016 to 2023 - would return as board leader.
Ms Potter will be joined by prominent arts executive Rob Brookman, former newsreader Jane Doyle and business and arts figure John Irving.
The Adelaide City Council's nominated board member, Mary Couros, will remain until the expiry of her term in early February.
At a media conference, South Australian Arts Minister Andrea Michaels said "I'm very grateful for them coming on board".
"We've had a very challenging week, and the future now and the focus now needs to be on running a successful Adelaide Festival," Ms Michaels said.
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