The UK opposition has called for Australian academic Randa Abdel-Fattah to be barred from entering the country, with Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp writing to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to demand she be denied entry. Dr Abdel-Fattah is scheduled to conduct a six-stop book tour across Ireland and the UK from 30 September to 9 October to promote her novel "Discipline", a Miles Franklin Award-shortlisted work examining systemic censorship and the Palestine-Israel conflict. The demand centres on her outspoken pro-Palestine advocacy and previous comments describing the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel as "a moment of freedom", which opposition figures argue could incite antisemitism and threaten the security of British Jewish communities.

This controversy follows a significant incident in Australia where Dr Abdel-Fattah was withdrawn from the 2026 Adelaide Writers Week festival, prompting 180 authors to boycott the event and ultimately causing its collapse. Her book "Discipline" was initially released in Australia in 2025 and is now being launched in the UK during her upcoming tour, with speaking engagements planned in Dublin, London, Bath and Manchester. The Home Office has not yet commented on individual cases but has reiterated its opposition to antisemitism, whilst Australian Jewish organisations have expressed understanding of the concerns raised about her visit.