Lawyers for Sydney-born Palestinian writer Randa Abdel-Fattah have launched defamation proceedings against South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas.

In a statement to social media on Wednesday, Abdel-Fattah announced her lawyers had issued a concerns notice to Malinauskas under the defamation act.

“We have never met and he has never attempted to contact me,” Abdel-Fattah said.

“He knows nothing about me, beyond what he has been told by the Murdoch press and the pro-Israel lobby, which he has apparently accepted without question.”

“Enough is enough. I am a human being, not a punching bag. My lawyers have today issued a concerns notice under the Defamation Act on Premier Malinauskas. This is his opportunity to undo some of the harm he has inflicted, and stop punching down.”

Abdel-Fattah was removed from the Adelaide Writers’ Week lineup by the Adelaide Festival board on January 8.

 

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A post shared by Randa Abdel-Fattah (@randaafattah)

Her lawyers also have written to former Adelaide Festival board chair Tracey Whiting, requesting further documentation about their decision and flagging her intent to begin proceedings.

“Please ensure that your organisation and each individual member of the board retains all documents in their possession (including emails, text messages and content on disappearing messaging apps) that relate to the decision to exclude Dr Abdel-Fattah,” the letter from Abdel-Fattah’s lawyers said, which she shared to social media platform X earlier this week.

“You are each now on notice that these documents may be required for the purposes of litigation.”

Malinauskas has been vocal about his opinion shared with the former Adelaide Festival board – of which all members but one have now resigned – that Abdel-Fattah should be removed from the February lineup.

He has consistently denied political interference, saying he had “never intervened or directed the board, and nor should I, in fact, as a matter of law, I can’t”.

On Tuesday, the festival board cancelled Writers’ Week, after 180 writers withdrew in support of Abdel-Fattah.

Also Tuesday, festival director Louise Adler resigned.

South Australian Greens leader Robert Simms is calling for the state government to provide an arts’ support package following the event’s cancellation

Malinsauskas was contacted for comment.

–InDaily