Arizona State University (ASU) canceled a pro-Palestine event on campus that was to be held Friday. The cancellation came Thursday night and surprised organizers with the last-minute notice.

Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) was scheduled to be a featured speaker at the “Palestine as an American Issue” event. Event organizers said they have been working with the university for months while planning the event. An ASU spokesperson wrote in an email that the event was canceled due to procedural issues.

Tlaib was censured by her colleagues in the House of Representatives last week. The resolution declared she was “calling for the destruction of the state of Israel” and “promoting false narratives” about the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. She continues to unapologetically support those who chant, “From the river to the sea…”, which is universally accepted as a call for the annihilation of Israel and the elimination of Jews. Tlaib is a Palestinian American with a long history of antisemitism.

If the campus group is telling the truth that it had been working with the university “for months”, then that would be before the October 7 massacre in Israel by Hamas. If it is not true, the pro-Palestine event is in response to the October 7 events. In that case, support for Palestine is support for Hamas in Gaza.

The cancellation of the event on campus came after a bipartisan group of state lawmakers wrote in a statement that Tlaib’s views are “not welcome in the state of Arizona.” The lawmakers referenced the anti-Israel group Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) events that often turn violent against Jewish students. This was to be a SJP event. The statement’s final paragraph sums up their opposition.

Congresswoman Tlaib is of course free to speak on ASU’s campus, and we commend our universities for supporting free speech and hosting uncomfortable conversations. However, ASU should not use public dollars, collected through student fees, to support SJP – an organization that, in addition to opposing the existence of Israel, proudly denies the existence of the United States (calling America ‘occupied Turtle Island’).

The university said that the event was planned by groups not affiliated with ASU.

“Organizers of events using ASU facilities must be properly registered with ASU and must meet all university requirements for crowd management, parking, security, and insurance. In addition, the events must be produced in a way which minimizes disruption to academic and other activities on campus,” the spokesperson wrote.

“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.”

Earlier this month, a CAIR-sponsored event was canceled by the venue at which it was to be held. It was scheduled for tonight, November 18, and featured Tlaib as a speaker.

The Sheraton Mesa Hotel at Wrigleyville West has told the Council for American-Islamic Relations’ Arizona chapter that it will no longer host their upcoming event featuring Rep. Rashida Tlaib, according to three members of that group familiar with the matter.

CAIR, a Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, has long been critical of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. The group’s Arizona chapter had invited Tlaib, a Michigan Democrat and the only Palestinian-American member of Congress, to be the keynote speaker on Nov. 18 at their annual banquet at the Sheraton Mesa.

Students gathered on campus to protest the event’s cancellation. Tlaib addressed the protest via Zoom.

Instead, on Friday afternoon, several dozen people gathered in front of ASU’s Neeb Hall, where the event was scheduled to take place. Tlaib and state Rep. Athena Salman, D-Tempe, who, like Tlaib, has called for a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, delivered brief remarks to the crowd via Zoom.

After the event, a group of protestors marched and led chants around campus. At one point, the protestors occupied a roadway near the intersection of College Avenue and University Drive. The Tempe Police Department detained one person.

Tlaib and Salman criticized ASU for canceling the event, accusing the university of “ethnic intimidation.” Tlaib speaks in terms meant to incite the crowd, in my opinion. She seeks chaos, and violence often results from rhetoric like hers.

Last month a Houston hotel shut down a previously-planned Palestinian rights conference.

Tlaib encouraged the protesters on campus Friday to not allow the university to “sway” them.

“This is not about me only. It’s a movement that’s growing beyond just one person, and that is what’s so threatening to Arizona State University,” Tlaib said.

Tlaib also said that she will continue to be hopeful for “coexistence” and “push for real peace.” She encouraged the protesters to do the same.

“Do not let the University sway you all. What you are doing is powerful and impactful,” Tlaib said. “People are going to ask you where you were during this moment. And you’re going to say I was focused on saving lives – nothing controversial about that.”

Pro-Palestinian protesters arrive at the #ASU Memorial Union. @statepress pic.twitter.com/elSPtz2by3

— Phineas Hogan (@PhineasHogan) November 17, 2023

Protesters walk down University Drive in protest of the cancellation of @RashidaTlaib’s speech on #ASU’s Tempe campus. @statepress pic.twitter.com/DirNLcRHX0

— Phineas Hogan (@PhineasHogan) November 17, 2023

Understandably, venues cancel events featuring Hamas supporters like Tlaib. This is a time for moral clarity. Israel has a right to self-defense and must destroy Hamas. These pro-Palestinian protests and rallies often turn violent, unlike pro-Israel rallies.

ASU is a public state university. Taxpayer dollars shouldn’t be used to support an event that aligns with Hamas, a designated terrorist organization. Not only are venues shutting down pro-Palestine events to show support for Israel, but it is also a public safety move.