(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Arizona State University (ASU) gutted a contentious Nov. 17 event organized by the Arizona Palestine Network, where Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., was scheduled to speak.
The university cited policy violations as the reason for the cancellation, as reported by Fox News.
“The event featuring Congresswoman Tlaib was planned and produced by groups not affiliated with ASU and was organized outside of ASU policies and procedures. Accordingly, that event will not take place today on the ASU Tempe campus,” an ASU spokesperson declared.
Arizona State University cancels event featuring Rep. Rashida Tlaib https://t.co/sseVkSyI1N
— Fox News (@FoxNews) November 18, 2023
The cancellation sparked criticism from the Arizona Palestine Network, labeling the move as “completely unacceptable.”
On a Facebook post, the group whined, “Rashida Tlaib must be heard on campus as the only Palestinian member of Congress who plans to speak on an American issue at this event. ASU cannot claim to hold free speech as a principle while denying Palestinians their voices on campus.”
The Arizona Palestine Network claimed that the cancelation went against the university’s pledged for inclusion in its chapter.
“Cancelling this event puts the university in direct contradiction with its charter as a university ‘measured not by whom it excludes, but by whom it includes and how they succeed,” they added.
The event’s cancellation came amidst controversy surrounding Tlaib’s recent comments defending a phrase associated with the destruction of Israel.
“From the river to the sea is an aspirational call for freedom, human rights, and peaceful coexistence, not death, destruction, or hate,” Tlaib claimed on Nov. 3, garnering over 32 million impressions on Twitter.
From the river to the sea is an aspirational call for freedom, human rights, and peaceful coexistence, not death, destruction, or hate. My work and advocacy is always centered in justice and dignity for all people no matter faith or ethnicity.
— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) November 3, 2023
Tlaib faced bipartisan criticism for her use of the phrase historically linked with the dismantling of the Israeli state, referencing the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.
Tlaib, known for being part of the “Squad” alongside other progressive lawmakers, has been a vocal supporter of Gaza following actions by the Hamas terror group in southern Israel.
At least 1,400 individuals, including babies and U.S. citizens, were brutally killed by Hamas on Oct. 7.
