Is it ethical for a journal to reject an accepted article because they decided not to publish the issue
If you gave up your copyright then get it back. If you still hold copyright then you can publish it elsewhere.
Even if the issue weren't cancelled, but they put out a call for additional papers to replace the removed ones, the time to &quot;print&quot; would probably be about the same for you as submitting to a different journal.
It is unfortunate (and maddening), but it may not be the journal at fault here. There isn't enough information to judge. And there is no ethical violation provided that you haven't given them something of value that you can't get back. They just may not have a suitable place for your paper.
It is also unlikely that anyone else will &quot;blame&quot; you for the fiasco, but it will help to get the paper published in a reputable place.
Just make sure you have the copyright. All else will flow from that.