British Book Festival Curator Accuses UAE Royal Family Member of Sexual Assault
The Hay festival curator alleges she was attacked by the tolerance minister of the United Arab Emirates in February.
Sean Gallup/Getty
A British literary festival curator has accused the United Arab Emirates’ minister of tolerance of sexual assault, the Sunday Times reports. Caitlin McNamara, who identified herself in the paper’s article, says she was attacked by Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan in February, when they met ostensibly to discuss preparations for the inaugural Abu Dhabi offshoot of the United Kingdom’s Hay Festival of Literature and Arts. An organizer confirmed Sunday that the event would not return to Abu Dhabi as a result of McNamara’s allegations, as long as Nahyan remained at his post. “What happened to our friend and colleague Caitlin McNamara in Abu Dhabi last February was an appalling violation and a hideous abuse of trust and position,” Hay Festival chair Caroline Michel said in a statement, voicing support for McNamara’s legal case. Nahyan’s ministry had bankrolled the Abu Dhabi festival in February.
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