![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/09-24-2026-Ariana-Harwicz-scaled-1.avif\")
<\/a><\/p>\nAriana Harwicz attends the “Die My Love” New York premiere at AMC Lincoln Square Theater on Nov. 1, 2025. (Valerie Terranova\/WireImage)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The Jewish-Argentinian novelist, longlisted for the 2018 Man Booker International Prize, was scheduled to participate in a talk on Sept. 26 at the Cultur Alh festival for arts and literature at the University of Granada. The festival organizers canceled her talk and rescinded her invitation after university activists complained about Harwicz\u2019s views. The university said it was not involved in disinviting Harwicz and criticized the decision.<\/p>\n
Harwicz vocally opposes cultural boycotts against Israeli writers and artists, which she describes as \u201cantisemitism.\u201d She has also dismissed accusations of genocide against Israel. The Spanish government is among Europe\u2019s staunchest critics of Israel, and Prime Minister Pedro S\u00e1nchez has called Israel a \u201cgenocidal state.\u201d The International Court of Justice is adjudicating accusations of genocide against Israel and has not issued a final ruling.<\/p>\n
Harwicz received support from 352 cultural figures in a letter published on Wednesday. The signatories \u2014 including the Spanish philosopher Fernando Savater; the former French prime minister Manuel Valls, who is French-Spanish; and several prize-winning writers \u2014 called on the festival to explain its decision and offer Harwicz public redress. The renowned Irish writer John Banville, who was set to headline the event, dropped out after Harwicz\u2019s cancellation.<\/p>\n
The signatories said that the festival was denying \u201cpluralism\u201d and \u201cthe freedom to dissent.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cThis statement does not demand that anyone share Ariana Harwicz\u2019s opinions,\u201d said the petition, circulated by the Federation of Jewish Communities of Spain. \u201cIt demands something more fundamental: that no one be removed from cultural life for holding their own ideas, and that no disagreement become a personal condemnation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harwicz first shared that her invitation was rescinded in a post on X last week, saying the organizers \u201cgave in to pressure from militants\u201d and \u201cterror.\u201d <\/p>\n
The University Network for Palestine, a platform for Spanish students and university staff that has a branch in Granada, acknowledged that it asked the festival organizers to reconsider Harwicz\u2019s participation. The activists denied posing \u201cthreats or calls to action.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cWe criticize public stances, not identities,\u201d the group said on X. \u201cLabeling all criticism of the State of Israel, the boycott, or the denunciation of genocide as antisemitic trivializes real antisemitism.\u201d <\/p>\n
Ana Gallego Cui\u00f1as, one of the festival directors and a University of Granada professor, confirmed that Harwicz\u2019s appearance was canceled after requests from the university community. <\/p>\n
She told the Argentinian newspaper Infobae that the choice was made within the framework of the school\u2019s \u201cinstitutional commitments to Palestine and human rights,\u201d adding, \u201cit is highly unlikely that we would have been able to discuss her books if there had been demonstrations.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, the University of Granada said in a statement that it did not endorse or share the decision, which it said was made solely by the festival\u2019s management. <\/p>\n
\u201cA public university must be a space open to critical thinking, the exchange of ideas, and the expression of diverse viewpoints, even when these are dissenting or controversial,\u201d said the school. <\/p>\n