Brief
UK Jewish group calls for ban on Australian author Randa Abdel‑Fattah
The Board of Deputies of British Jews has asked the Home Secretary to bar the Palestinian‑Australian writer from the UK after she praised the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel.
By Felo News Desk · Published
The Board of Deputies of British Jews has urged the UK Home Secretary to exclude Palestinian‑Australian author Randa Abdel‑Fattah from the country after she described the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel as "exhilarating" and a sign of hope. The board said it was "profoundly insensitive" to give a platform to someone who had spoken so positively about the day that killed 1,195 people, including 36 children. The author is due to speak at events in the UK and Ireland next week, and a Conservative Party front‑bencher has called for her visa to be cancelled. The Home Office has not yet commented, but has said it is committed to "rooting out antisemitism". Abdel‑Fattah’s novel, Discipline, is being promoted in the UK, but she was dropped from Adelaide Writers’ Week after her remarks, leading 180 writers to quit the festival. The board has asked Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to use her powers to exclude the author.
Key facts
- The Board of Deputies of British Jews urged the UK Home Secretary to exclude Randa Abdel‑Fattah (smh.com.au)
- Abdel‑Fattah described the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks as "exhilarating" (smh.com.au)
- The author is scheduled to speak in the UK and Ireland next week (smh.com.au)
- The Home Office has said it is committed to "rooting out antisemitism" (smh.com.au)
Sources
- [1] smh.com.au — originally reported as “Randa Abdel-Fattah: UK Jewish group urges government to ban Australian author over October 7 remarks”
