Asked about Berg’s allegations, Adler told this masthead: “I consider discussions at the board table to be confidential and I’m rather surprised that a former CEO of Macquarie Bank has breached those confidences,” she said. “It’s indicative of the way the former board operated – a rich case study for future management students.”
Abdel-Fattah was one of 10 people who had written to the board asking it to rescind the invite to Friedman after his controversial comments about the Middle East, including comparing the conflict to the animal kingdom, which drew widespread condemnation.
Tony Berg quit the Adelaide Festival board last October.Credit: Oscar Colman
However, in a response seen by this masthead, dated February 9, 2024, the festival board rejected this petition. Signed by the (now former) chair of the board, Tracey Whiting, it reads: “Asking the Adelaide Festival and Adelaide Writers’ Week to cancel an artist or writer is an extremely serious request. We have an international reputation for supporting artistic freedom of expression.”
Whether the festival rescinded the invite or whether Friedman was unable to appear due to a scheduling clash is contested. On Wednesday, Berg criticised both Abdel-Fattah and Adler.
“I am now utterly astonished at Louise Adler’s statement in her resignation letter in support of free speech. I am likewise surprised by Randa Abdel-Fattah’s invocation of free speech and her outrage at being ‘cancelled’,” he said.
“I regard it to be utterly hypocritical of Randa Abdel-Fattah and Louise Adler to now accuse the board of repressing freedom of speech when they have both actively sought to deny it to Tom Friedman.”
Speaking to the Guardian on Sunday, Abdel-Fattah rejected any allegation of hypocrisy.
“We were concerned about the impact of Friedman’s views on socially and historically marginalised people who have been dehumanised and discriminated against…,” she said.
“In contrast, I was cancelled because my presence and identity as a Palestinian was deemed ‘culturally insensitive’ and linked to the Bondi atrocity.”
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