Jacinda Ardern pulls out of Adelaide writers’ week as fallout over Randa Abdel-Fattah’s axing continues

The Guardian - World NewsCenter-LeftEN 1 min read 100% complete by Kelly BurkeJanuary 12, 2026 at 07:58 AM

Jacinda Ardern pulls out of Adelaide writers’ week as fallout over Randa Abdel-Fattah’s axing continues

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Jacinda Ardern, former New Zealand prime minister, has withdrawn from the 2026 Adelaide Writers' Week. The decision is a protest against the Adelaide Festival board's earlier rescinding of an invitation to Palestinian-Australian academic Randa Abdel-Fattah. Ardern was scheduled to discuss her memoir on March 3rd with Sarah Ferguson, host of the ABC's 7.30 program. The controversy surrounding Abdel-Fattah's initial inclusion began in October and has caused significant disruption within the festival board. Ardern is the latest international figure to pull out of the event due to this controversy.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

ABC 40% Sarah Ferguson 40% New Zealand 50% Australia 60% Adelaide festival board 70% Adelaide writers’ week ×270% Randa Abdel-Fattah ×280% Jacinda Ardern ×290%

Keywords

adelaide writers’ week 100% jacinda ardern 90% randa abdel-fattah 80% invitation rescinded 70% protest 60% festival board 50% academic 40% memoir 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.30

Source Transparency

Source

The Guardian - World News

Political Lean

Center-Left (-0.40)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

85%

Geographic Perspective

Australia

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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adelaide writers’ week jacinda ardern randa abdel-fattah invitation rescinded protest festival board academic memoir

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