Three board members resign from Adelaide festival as Randa Abdel-Fattah sends legal notice | Adelaide festival
Adelaide festival is facing an unprecedented leadership crisis after three board members resigned this weekend.
Journalist Daniela Ritorto, Adelaide businesswoman Donny Walford and lawyer Nick Linke have resigned since the board’s controversial decision to exclude Palestinian Australian writer Randa Abdel-Fattah from the 2026 writers’ week programme.
The sudden departures follow the withdrawal of more than 70 attendees of next month’s festival events.
It remains unclear how the board will reach a quorum, potentially paralyzing its legal authority to make decisions regarding the 2026 event.
Under the Adelaide Festival Corporation Act 1998 the board must adhere to strict gender composition rules. With Linke’s departure, only one person remained; Brenton Cox, general manager of Adelaide airport. The law requires at least two men and two women to be on the board.
The board has not commented publicly since announcing Abdel-Fattah’s cancellation last Thursday.
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In a statement, the board said it was “shocked and saddened by the tragic events in Bondi” and that “both community tensions and public debate have escalated significantly”.
“As the Board of Directors responsible for the organization of the Adelaide Festival and all Adelaide Writers’ Week events, staff, volunteers and participants, we have today informed scheduled author Dr. Randa Abdel-Fattah that the Board has decided that we do not wish to proceed with her scheduled participation in next month’s Writers’ Week,” he said.
While the panel did not “in any way” indicate that Abdel-Fattah or his writings had any connection with the tragedy at Bondi, it said the decision was made “taking into account his past statements”.
“We formed the view that it would not be culturally sensitive to continue programming it during such an unprecedented time, so soon after Bondi,” he said.
A few hours after the board’s announcement, Abdel Fattah issued his own statement, accusing the festival board of “blatant and shameless” anti-Palestinian racism and censorship. He said the board’s attempt to link him to the Bondi massacre was “despicable”.
On Sunday, Sydney law firm Marque, acting on behalf of Abdel-Fattah, wrote to festival board chair Tracey Whiting, demanding she produce any statements made by the academic who played a role in the board’s decision to remove him from the 2026 programme.
“Your letter informs Dr Abdel-Fattah of the board’s decision to ban him from attending Adelaide Writers’ Week as a speaker in 2026,” the letter from Marque’s managing partner Michael Bradley said.
“Your letter was the first indication he received that his involvement was in doubt. There had been no communication or consultation with him prior to the decision to exclude.”
Bradley said the notice his client received from the board did not provide any justification for the decision other than “it would not be culturally sensitive to proceed.” [her] planned view”.
But in a public statement released Thursday, Bradley said he said it was the board’s past statements that influenced its decision that it would be culturally insensitive to allow the board’s involvement so soon after the Bondi terrorist attack.
“In the interest of basic procedural fairness to Dr Abdel-Fattah, please describe in detail each of his background statements on which the board relied in making its decision,” the legal letter said.
“He has a right to this information.”
The board was given until Jan. 14 to respond and a request was made that Whiting and its ousted board of directors preserve all relevant documents for possible litigation.
Guardian Australia on Sunday said its board had resisted attempts to remove pro-Israel columnist Thomas Friedman from its 2024 Writers’ Week program after he published a controversial column. Comparing the Middle East conflict to the animal kingdom.
