Palestinian Australian author Randa Abdel-Fattah stoked the flames further after being disinvited from this year’s Adelaide Writers’ Week. She has since served a formal defamation concerns notice to the South Australian Premier, Peter Malinauskas. The disinvitation comes as a result of past comments made by Abdel-Fattah, which are deemed harmful towards Israel advocacy recently posted on social media. This incident raises significant questions about the limits of freedom of expression. It further underscores the chilling effect of public statements in our current political environment.
Abdel-Fattah’s lawyer Michael Bradley from Marque Lawyers welcomed the concerns notice. It was born from a Facebook posting of Malinauskas, blaming them that amel Abdel-Fattah was a “terrorist sympathiser” and suggesting a connection all the way to the brand-new Bondi terror assault. The Adelaide Writers’ Week board first claimed that Abdel-Fattah’s speaking at the festival would not be “culturally sensitive.” This claim followed a disturbing antisemitic episode.
In her statement, Abdel-Fattah expressed her outrage at the idea of a far-right Zionist participating in the event, stating, “Can you imagine that as the premier of this state, I would actively support a far-right Zionist going to Writers’ Week and speaking hateful rhetoric?” Her remarks clearly convey a profound sense of alarm at what the widespread acceptance of political partisanship and the expression of hate in public life today means.
The formal legal notice of defamation is very important. It raises the threat of legal action should Malinauskas not remedy his misinformation. The Defamation Act provides an opportunity for the defendant to make reparations. They have a month—28 days—to provide an apology, correction, or retraction before any court action can proceed.
At a press conference on Tuesday, immediately following the vote, Malinauskas reacted to the close call. He maintained that he had never gotten a warnings notice from Abdel-Fattah. He had the audacity to declare that his statements were made with compassion and decency. He stressed the need to put his remarks in the right context.
“Every step of this journey, all of my remarks and indeed actions, have been founded in a desire for compassion and people treating each other civilly,” – Peter Malinauskas
Abdel-Fattah has pushed back on Malinauskas’s allegations about his motives, calling the announcement “disingenuous.” She has noted that they only showed concern over her disinvitation announcement. They didn’t want to talk about the decision itself. Furthermore, she highlighted their lack of personal interaction, noting, “We have never met and he has never attempted to contact me.”
The controversy surrounding her disinvitation has raised questions about freedom of speech and the role of authors in addressing contentious political issues. Many supporters of Abdel-Fattah argue that her exclusion from the festival represents a significant threat to artistic expression and diversity of thought.
