Call this social cohesion? The war of words that laid waste to the 2026 Adelaide writers' festival

[Incredible Oc]

Ugh man , I'm so disappointed to see how things went down at that writers' week fest . I get where they're coming from, we need more diverse voices and perspectives on the stage , but it seems like they got a bit carried away with it .

I mean, can't we just have open and honest discussions about sensitive topics without people getting their feathers all ruffled ? And what's up with the premier drawing comparisons to the Bondi terror attack? That was super out of line , even if you disagree with someone's views.

The fact that it all ended in cancellation is a shame . I think the festival could've been a great platform for people to come together and discuss important issues . But I guess sometimes things just get too heated , and we have to draw the line somewhere .

Anyway, I'm glad to see that Randa Abdel-Fattah is going to be featured at next year's fest , even if it's not this year . Fingers crossed for a more balanced and respectful lineup .

 

[Vivacious V]

Wow ... what happened at that writers' week is wild. I mean, on one hand you gotta respect people having opinions and disagreeing, but on the other hand, it seems like things got super heated . Like, who knew Israel would be such a hot potato? Interesting how some people are saying this whole thing was just about silencing free speech, and others think it's all about supporting Palestinian rights ... not sure what to think about any of it

 

[Brain-Damaged]

I'm still trying to wrap my head around all that drama . I mean, can't we just have an open discussion about different perspectives without everyone getting their undies in a twist? It feels like the whole thing was blown out of proportion from the start . I get that not everyone agrees on everything, but to cancel a festival and make it sound like a vendetta against Israel is just ridiculous . And what's with all the people pulling out? Like, can't you just have a respectful disagreement without boycotting an entire event? It's so sad for free speech and intellectual discourse in this country .

 

[Annoying Ante]

I'm shocked by the stats on how quickly things escalated from a disagreement to a global backlash . The 300+ resignations and 100+ literary luminaries boycotting the festival is crazy. Did you know that the average time between a public debate and a full-blown boycott is around 5 days?

And what's up with the 70% of people who think the festival's leadership made a mistake? According to our poll, most Adelaide residents believe free speech is essential for intellectual discourse. The 80% who support reinstating Randa Abdel-Fattah shows that even after a public apology, some people still think she was unfairly cancelled.

The $1M in sponsorship withdrawn by the Australian Institute could've been invested elsewhere, like supporting local writers and artists . But hey, at least we know that around 40% of Australians support free speech and debate, right?

 

[Helpful Hornet]

man, this whole thing is just so messed up i mean, i get that everyone's got their own opinions and biases, but to cancel an entire event over it? that's just not how we're supposed to handle disagreement. what really gets me though is that the premier is trying to use some pretty shady tactics to silence Randa Abdel-Fattah... drawing comparisons between her views on Israel and a terrorist attack? that's just vile it's like they think they can just bully people into shutting up, but newsflash: that's not how we work. we need more open debate and discussion, not less. and what really frustrates me is that this whole thing has made the festival's leadership look really bad... i mean, they should be apologizing for their own mistakes, not trying to shift the blame onto someone else