[REVISION HISTORY]

Ariana Harwicz exclusion from Granada festival

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2026-09-26 04:02 UTC → 2026-09-26 23:00 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Argentine author Ariana Harwicz was removed from the Cultur-ALH International Festival of Art, Literature, and Humanities in Granada, Spain, following pressure from pro-Palestinian activist groups, specifically the Red Universitaria por Palestina (RUxP). Organizers, including directors Patricia Escalona and Ana Gallego, cited concerns for Harwicz’s safety and the potential for protests to disrupt her scheduled talk, ‘Oponerse al mundo’. The pressure stemmed from Harwicz’s refusal to support a cultural boycott of Israel. Harwicz rejected accusations from activists that she supported the extermination of the Palestinian people, calling such claims a fallacy based on “decontextualized words.” She criticized the festival organizers for having “yielded to the pressure of militants” and “yielded to terror,” describing the event as a victim of “mechanisms of harassment and extortion.” She further suggested her Jewish identity played a role in her ~~exclusion.~~ exclusion, alleging religious and ethnic persecution. The controversy has intensified as opposing factions of the literary community mobilize. While over 350 intellectuals previously signed a manifesto defending Harwicz and calling for a defense of pluralism, a new, larger group of more than 500 cultural figures has signed a counter-manifesto titled ‘Posicionamiento colectivo por Palestina: el negacionismo fuera de los espacios literarios’. Promoted by Mexican writer Dahlia de la Cerda, this document includes signatories such as Cristina Rivera Garza, Alejandro Zambra, and Paul B. Preciado. These supporters argue that the boycott is not censorship but a form of collective action, maintaining that cultural workers have the right to refuse to share spaces with positions they deem to be “denialist or justificatory of violence against the Palestinian people.” University of Granada authorities and festival organizers have maintained that the decision was based on ideological grounds and a perceived lack of coherence with human rights, rather than antisemitism.

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