(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) A top Democratic lawmaker rushed to defend Hasan Piker after the accused antisemite claimed a university canceled one of his appearances because of his views on Israel, a shocking reversal for a politician with a lengthy pro-censorship record.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., a member of the House Judiciary Committee, rebuked the University of Washington on Thursday after it disinvited Piker from its 2026-27 Speaker Series.
The university said in a statement that the process through which Piker was initially invited “did not meet the necessary level of rigor for University-hosted events in the Speaker Series.”
“As a result, this event will not be held,” it added.
Jayapal said via X she had “been absolutely clear that free speech is a Constitutional right that we must all stand up and protect.”
She added that she communicated her concerns about the canceled Piker speech “directly to the University, and they have informed me that they are doing an internal review to ensure this never happens again.”
“I encourage student groups who want to hear from Mr. Piker to work with the University to ensure that they can proceed,” Jayapal concluded.
Piker has emerged as an icon of the far left despite a long history of controversial remarks, including saying that America deserved the Sept. 11 attacks and comparing liberal Zionists to liberal Nazis, among other comments that have earned him accusations of antisemitism.
But Jayapal’s defense of Piker’s speech rights stands in stark contrast to her extensive record of demanding that social-media companies restrict speech she considers hateful or misleading.
A Headline USA review of Jayapal’s congressional posts on X shows that she has repeatedly pressured Big Tech companies to crack down on so-called hate speech and disinformation.
In 2019, after YouTube touted its efforts to combat hate speech, Jayapal wrote: “Glad to see some progress being made, but we must do more to hold tech companies accountable and stop this epidemic of viral hate speech.”
In 2020, Jayapal pressed Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg over what she characterized as his refusal to change the company’s policies regarding hate speech and disinformation.
“More than 1,100 groups stopped advertising on Facebook to protest the fact that the platform allows hate speech and disinformation to spread,” Jayapal wrote. “But Zuckerberg told employees that Facebook wouldn’t change their policies. So, I asked him if he thinks his company is too big to care.”
More than 1,100 groups stopped advertising on Facebook to protest the fact that the platform allows hate speech and disinformation to spread.
But Zuckerberg told employees that Facebook wouldn't change their policies. So, I asked him if he thinks his company is too big to care. https://t.co/C8jlRIwsMt pic.twitter.com/euofmaeoUd
— Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@RepJayapal) August 5, 2020
She added, “Hate speech is not ‘free speech.’ It is harmful and threatening.”
