Arizona State University has canceled an on-campus event where Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib was scheduled to speak.
The Arizona Palestine Network, which is not an organization on campus, organized the “Palestine is an American Issue” event.
This comes after Tlaib was reprimanded by her colleagues in the US House of Representatives earlier this month for defending Hamas and calling for the destruction of the Jewish state.
The university said the event did not follow policies and procedures and was therefore canceled, which the group said was false.
Arizona State University has canceled an on-campus event where Republican Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib was scheduled to speak
This comes after Tlaib was reprimanded by her colleagues in the US House of Representatives earlier this month for defending Hamas and calling for the destruction of the Jewish state
A university spokesperson told Fox, “Organizers of events using ASU facilities must be properly registered with ASU and comply with all university requirements related to crowd management, parking, security and insurance.”
“In addition, the events must be organized in such a way that the academic and other activities on campus are disrupted as little as possible.”
“The event with Congresswoman Tlaib was planned and conducted by groups unaffiliated with ASU and was organized outside of ASU policies and procedures. Accordingly, this event will not be held on the ASU Tempe campus today.”
The decision to cancel the Michigan congresswoman’s talk sparked outrage among pro-Palestinian students.
After the cancellation was announced, the Arizona Palestine Network criticized the university, saying the institution was “blocking” their right to free speech.
They claimed that all policies and procedures were followed.
The university stated that the event did not follow policies and procedures and was therefore canceled
After the cancellation was announced, the Arizona Palestine Network criticized the university, saying the institution was “blocking” their right to free speech.
The pro-Palestine group also launched a petition not to cancel the event. The students were asked to copy a template they had posted to university officials with their name and email address
In a lengthy Facebook post, the group wrote: “Arizona State University administration would like the public to believe that the event featuring Rep. Rashida Tlaib was canceled because it was planned by outside organizations, but this is demonstrably false.”
“Several student groups have been directly involved in planning this event since AUGUST in direct coordination with the university. In several documented meetings, all proper procedures and policies were followed to ensure the event took place in accordance with University policies.
“For the ASU administration to then claim that failure to follow due process was the reason for the cancellation of the event is a clear and blatant LIE.” The university’s actions were a clear attempt to block expression with which it disagrees agrees.
“ASU tried to silence Rashida’s voice, our voice, but it only inspired us to become much louder!”
The pro-Palestine group also launched a petition not to cancel the event. The students were asked to copy a template they had posted to university officials with their name and email address.
The petition called the cancellation unacceptable and a violation of the university’s charter.
Yesterday, the group and its supporters launched a protest on the campus of Arizona State University.
Dozens of protesters were photographed holding Palestinian flags and signs as they gathered on the Tempe campus.
According to organizers, for security reasons, protesters were also able to hear Tlaib’s speech remotely via a Zoom call on a laptop.
In an Instagram video, Tlaib says, “This isn’t just about me.” It’s a movement that grows beyond one person, and that’s what makes Arizona State University so threatening.
“Don’t let the university influence you.” “What you do is powerful and impactful,” she continued.
“People will ask you where you were at that moment. And they’ll say I was focused on saving lives – there’s nothing controversial about that.”
Yesterday, the group and its supporters launched a protest on the campus of Arizona State University. Dozens of protesters were photographed holding Palestinian flags and signs as they gathered on the Tempe campus.
After Tlaib’s speech, attendees heard from Palestinian-American Arizona state Rep. Athena Salman, who also called for the protest remotely
After Tlaib’s speech, attendees heard from Palestinian-American Arizona state Rep. Athena Salman, who also called for the protest remotely. She said she was disappointed that ASU tried to kill the event and said it was “not an accident.”
“The university has chosen ethnic intimidation to suppress the voice of the person who speaks out against such violence against the Palestinian people,” Salman said.
“What message does this send to the student body, to the Arab students, to the Muslim students, to the students who are advocating for peace, for a ceasefire and for solutions?”
Earlier this month, the House of Representatives formally voted to censure Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib for a series of inflammatory statements condemning Israel following the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks that killed 1,400 people.
Twenty-two Democrats joined Republicans in condemning the progressive Michigan lawmaker and strikingly rebuked her controversial comments on the conflict in the Middle East.
She has also been criticized by the White House and members of her own party for using the pro-Palestinian chant “River to Sea,” which many see as an anti-Semitic call for the destruction of Israel.
Tlaib is the only Palestinian-American member of Congress and has heavily criticized both the Biden administration and Israel during the war.
She even accused Biden of supporting “genocide” in Gaza and “complicity” in the deaths of children in the Middle East.
The Education Ministry has launched investigations into seven colleges after complaints of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia on campus.
The seven schools include Ivy League schools such as Cornell University, Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania.
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona speaks to students during a visit to Towson University to discuss anti-Semitism on college campuses, Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023
The Education Department announced the investigations Thursday, calling them part of the Biden administration’s efforts to take “aggressive action” against discrimination
Five of the investigations relate to allegations of anti-Semitic harassment and two to allegations of anti-Muslim harassment.
These are the first investigations of their kind since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, which sparked protests at universities across the country.
The Education Department announced the investigations Thursday, calling them part of the Biden administration’s efforts to take “aggressive action” against discrimination.
The schools include one K-12 school, the Maize Unified School District of Kansas, and six colleges.
The six are Lafayette College in Pennsylvania, Cornell University in New York, Columbia University in New York, Wellesley College in Massachusetts, Cooper Union in New York and the University of Pennsylvania.
Once the Ministry of Education has completed its investigation, it will make recommendations to the institutes.
Schools found to have violated civil rights laws can face penalties up to and including the total loss of federal funds, although the vast majority of cases end in voluntary settlements.
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said: “Hate has no place in our schools, period.”
“When students are targeted because they are, or are perceived to be, Jewish, Muslim, Arab, Sikh, or another ethnicity or shared ancestry, schools must act to ensure a safe and inclusive educational environment in which everyone learns freely can.”
All investigations were opened on Wednesday or Thursday. The department said an updated list of investigations will be released every week.
Since the conflict in the Middle East began last month, tensions over the war have been rising on campuses.
Accuracy in Media’s “doxxing truck” visited Colombia to highlight the names and faces of students who signed a letter blaming Israel for the October 7 terrorist attack
Pro-Palestinian students participate in a protest in support of Palestinians amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza at Columbia University in New York City on October 12, 2023
In New York City, Columbia University students who had signed a letter blaming Israel for the October 7 attack were openly run over by a box truck.
The truck, sponsored by a group called Accuracy in Media, features the faces and names of students on a panel on its side under the slogan “Columbia’s Leading Antisemites.”
The students signed a statement saying that “the burden of responsibility for the war and casualties undeniably falls on the Israeli extremist government.”
Last week, the university suspended Students for Justice for Palestine (SJP) and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) following unauthorized protests on campus.
The two student organizations are suspended as official student groups until the end of the fall semester.
SJP is a network of pro-Palestinian student groups in the United States that spread anti-Israel propaganda, often mixed with anti-emetic, provocative and sometimes violent messages.
Immediately after October 7, many SJP chapters posted statements of support, including images of the attacks, and applauded the rape and murder as Palestinian “resistance” against Israel.
JVP is an anti-Zionist group that supports the international boycott movement against Israel.
The suspension means that the two groups of students are not entitled to hold events on campus or receive university funding until the end of the semester.
Columbia also launched an anti-Semitism task force to address the “terribly resilient form of hate” following a series of Jewish attacks and harassment on campus.
A pro-Palestinian mob is seen walking past a security guard and shouting: “Free, free Palestine”
Other incidents on campus include Jewish students at Cooper Union, also in New York City, being forced to seek shelter in an on-campus library to avoid a pro-Palestinian mob.
Late last month, a group chanting “Free, Free Palestine” staged a protest in the college lobby near Astor Place in Manhattan.
The crowd stormed past a security guard and attempted to storm the library where Jewish students had sought refuge. Those inside were later let out. \
At Harvard University, which is not under investigation, the Palestinian Solidarity Committee was condemned for issuing a letter on October 7th.
Co-signed by 33 other Harvard student organizations with the statement: “We, the undersigned student organizations, hold the Israeli regime solely responsible for all of the violence that is unfolding.”
Some of the signatories have been named and shamed, and billionaire financier Bill Ackman is demanding that companies refuse to hire them.
Harvard’s president apologized for the statement and said it did not reflect the university’s views.