ASU cancels Rep. Rashida Tlaib speaking event

TEMPE, AZ (3TV/CBS 5/AP) — Arizona State University has canceled an event featuring Rep. Rashida Tlaib, hours before it was set to start.

Democratic Rep. Tlaib of Michigan, the only Palestinian-American in Congress, was set to deliver an address in Tempe at 4 p.m. on Friday entitled, “Why Palestine is an American Issue.” But ASU released a statement Friday morning, saying the event would not be happening. See the full statement below:

“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 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.”

The move comes a day after a bipartisan group of Arizona state lawmakers issued a news release, saying Rep. Tlaibs “extremist, antisemitic views are not welcome in the state of Arizona.” And last week, the U.S. House voted to censure Rep. Tlaib, a historically harsh critic of Israel, over her rhetoric about the Israel-Hamas war. The 234-188 tally came after enough Democrats joined with Republicans to censure Tlaib, a punishment one step below expulsion from the House.

Several pro-Palestinian groups sponsored the event, including Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP). It’s unknown if organizers will try to move it to another location.

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