On 23rd February 2024, the Perth Writers Festival, hosted by Writing WA—self-described as the ‘peak writing body for writers’ in the state—held their Opening Night with anti-Palestinian celebrity Deborah Conway. Despite more than 500 writers and artists signing an open letter calling for Conway to be removed from the program in the interest of cultural safety amidst daily massacres of Palestinian women and children, Writing WA proceeded with the event. Members of The Writers’ Collective participated in a silent vigil and protest on the steps of the State Library where Conway performed, standing in solidarity with Palestinian voices and opposing the erasure of their struggle.
