Adelaide writers’ festival meets the ghosts of socialists past

Reasons given for boycotting the event included not being ‘party to silencing writers’.

The implosion of the Adelaide Writers’ Festival stands as a hard reminder of historical lessons ignored.

Initially, the board cancelled a scheduled Palestinian-Australian author. A mass exodus of left-wing authors followed, culminating in the resignation of festival director, Louise Adler, and the cancellation of the event.

The author’s cancellation also brought a wave of withdrawals from writers and others, protesting what they call censorship.

Reasons given for boycotting the event included not being ‘party to silencing writers’.

However, uninviting controversial writers from a publicly-funded event is a far cry from silencing writers in general. It is my view that if people want to write controversial stuff, then they can do so at their own expense.

Among those who withdrew from the publicly-funded event were ABC journalists, whose actions raise sharp questions about the dangers of blind idealism. Such misplaced idealism is not new.

 My latest in The Spectator Australia, Adelaide writers’ festival meets the ghosts of socialists past.

Australia will now face a difficult reality. In light of the Bondi massacre, there will be those who debate the ground between censorship and insensitivity.

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— The Spectator Australia (@SpectatorOz) January 14, 2026