2 Arab writers withdraw from Gothenburg Book Fair in protest against hosting Israeli military spokesperson

STOCKHOLM, Sept. 26 (YPA) – Egyptian poet Iman Mersal and Palestinian journalist Bisan Adwan announced their withdrawal from the Gothenburg Book Fair in Sweden, in protest against the fair’s hosting of Jonathan Conricus, the former spokesperson for the Israeli army, through an event organized by the Swedish-Israeli Friendship Association.

Mersal emphasized that Conricus is not a writer but an officer who was part of the war machine on Gaza, and refused to participate in an event that provides him with a platform, while Adwan demanded that the fair’s management clarify its responsibility.

The fair witnessed demonstrations and police reports against the organizers, despite the management’s invocation of “freedom of expression.”