Some good news from Australia, with a major sponsor of the Adelaide Festival of Arts cancelling its support for this year's event due to the scheduled appearances of Susan Abulhawa and Mohammed El-Kurd.
Australia’s largest law firm, MinterEllison, will cut ties with the Adelaide Festival over the inclusion of two Palestinian writers with a track record of hostility against Jewish people and Ukraine.
Minters chief executive Virginia Briggs said in statement on Tuesday morning that the firm had not only withdrawn its support for the Writers’ Week part of this year’s festival, but also the entire program which covers all areas of the arts.
She also said the firm would boycott all festival events.
“We have made the decision to remove our presence and involvement with this year’s Writers’ Festival program,” Ms Briggs said.
“In addition, as these speakers are associated with the festival, we will be removing our branding from the broader festival program [where feasible] and not be attending any events of the festival.”
Minters has been under pressure since it emerged that Palestinian poet Mohammed El-Kurd and Palestinian writer Susan Abulhawa were invited to speak at Adelaide Writers’ Week, which begins on March 4.
Writers’ Week director Louise Adler has resisted pressure from South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas and Jeremy Leibler, a partner of law firm Arnold Bloch Leibler and president of the Zionist Federation of Australia, to drop Mr El-Kurd and Ms Abulhawa from the program. “I don’t want us to be party to cancel culture,” Ms Adler said.
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On the festival website, MinterEllison is listed as a major partner along with the University of Adelaide, aged care provider Askech and The Adelaide Advertiser. Presenting partners include Nine, publisher of The Australian Financial Review, and The Australian newspaper.
Mr El-Kurd is slated for sessions on March 5 (Authors Take Sides) and March 7 (The Poetry of Dispossession). Ms Abulhawa is programmed to speak twice on March 7 (Literary Worlds and Politics in Fiction) and again on March 9 (Sovereignty and Solidarity).
Mr El-Kurd has been condemned by Jewish groups for his stance – and inflammatory tweets – on Israel and Zionism. When he attended Harvard University last October, there was a protest by pro-Israel students.
Ms Abulhawa has been derided for her views on Ukraine and President Volodymyr Zelensky, whom she has described as a “depraved Zionist” and “worse than Putin”. Frank Fursenko, president of the Association of Ukrainians in South Australia, told the ABC that Ms Adler was a “useful idiot” in Russia’s propaganda machine.
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There had been some unrest among the firm’s staff about being associated with anti-semitism.
Ms Briggs said the firm did not agree with the views of the two Palestinian writers.
“MinterEllison is a strong supporter of the arts community and has been a sponsor of the Adelaide Festival for five years,” she said.
“We have recently been made aware of the participation by Ms Abulhawa and Mr El-Kurd in the Adelaide Writers’ Festival and, in particular, of certain public statements made by Ms Abulhawa and Mr El-Kurd.
“We do not agree with those views. We have strongly expressed our reservations to the festival. We sought the festival’s assurances that no racist or anti-semitic commentary should be tolerated as part of Mr El-Kurd’s or Ms Abulhawa’s or any other festival session.
“Notwithstanding, we have made the decision – well in advance of the festival and the Writers’ Festival being staged – to remove our presence and involvement with this year’s Writers’ Festival program.
“In addition, as these speakers are associated with the festival, we will be removing our branding from the broader festival program [where feasible] and not be attending any events of the festival.”
While I am happy to read this news, the above report does not really convey the depth of hatred for Israel and the Jewish people these two have.
Mohammed El-Kurd has not just been "condemned by Jewish groups for his stance – and inflammatory tweets – on Israel and Zionism." As I have documented on here, he has gone full antisemite and terror-supporter, and has even "joked" about shooting pro-Israel hecklers.
As for Susan Abulhawa, calling Volodymyr Zelensky a “depraved Zionist” is the least of it. A look at her Twitter feed and Facebook posts reveal not just anti-Israel sentiments, but antisemitic ones.
Like those comparing us to the Nazis:
while suggesting we learned from those trying to murder us:
perpetuating the trope of Jews controlling countries, Hollywood, and the media:
denying Jewish history, genealogy, and belief:
the "Rothchilds" (but later claims she had no idea this is a euphemism for Jews):
generally making known when says "Zionists" she really means "Jews":
and generally lying about Jews:
She also seems to advocate for our annihilation:
The first thing that appears when you visit the Adelaide Festival website is this message acknowledging Australia's indigenous owners.
Yet here is the festival giving a platform to two people who deny the real indigenous people of Israel.
I hope more of the festival's sponsors follow in MinterEllison's footsteps:
Posted from my blog with Exxp : https://www.israellycool.com/2023/02/21/adelaide-festival-sponsor-withdraws-over-susan-abulhawa-mohammed-el-kurd-appearances/