Arizona State University sparks outrage from pro-Palestine students after cancelling event featuring 'Squad' member Rashida Tlaib - just weeks after House censure for anti-Israel comments

Arizona State University has canceled an on-campus event where Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib was due to give a speech. 

The Arizona Palestine Network, which is not an on-campus organization, arranged the 'Palestine is an American issue' event.

This comes after Tlaib was censured by her colleagues in the US House of Representatives for defending Hamas and calling for the destruction of the Jewish state earlier this month. 

The University said that the event did not comply with policies and procedures, which is why it was canceled, which the group said was false. 

A spokesperson of the University told Fox: '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 decision to cancel the Michigan Congresswoman's talk sparked outrage among pro-Palestine students. 

Once the cancelation was announced, the Arizona Palestine Network criticized the university and said the institution was 'blocking' their right to Free Speech. 

They claimed that all policies and procedures had been followed. 

In a lengthy Facebook post, the group wrote: 'The Arizona State University administration would have the public believe that the event with Rep. Rashida Tlaib was cancelled due to it being planned by outside organizations, but this is demonstrably false. 

'Several student groups were directly involved with the process of planning this event in direct coordination with the University since AUGUST. All proper procedures and guidelines were followed to ensure the event happened in accordance with University policy, across several documented meetings. 

'For the ASU administration to then claim that failure to follow proper procedure was the reason for the event’s cancellation, is a clear and bold faced LIE. The actions of the University were a clear attempt at blocking an expression of Free Speech that they do not agree with.

'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, where students were asked to copy a template they had posted with their name and email University officials. 

The petition called the cancelation unacceptable and a violation of the University's charter. 

Yesterday, the group and its supporters launched a protest on the Arizona State University campus.

Dozens of protestors were photographed holding Palestinian flags and signs congregated on the Tempe campus.

According to the organizers, due to safety concerns, protesters also got to hear Tlaib's speech remotely through a Zoom call on a laptop. 

In an Instagram video, Tlaib says: '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.

'Do not let the University sway you all. What you are doing is powerful and impactful,' she continued. 

'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.' 

After Tlaib's speech, attendees heard from Palestinian-American Arizona state Rep. Athena Salman who had also remotely called into the protest. She commented that she was disappointed in ASU 'trying to pull the plug' on the event, saying it was 'not accidental.'

'The University has chosen ethnic intimidation, to shut down the voice of the person who is speaking out against such violence against the Palestinian people,' Salman said. 

'What message does that send to the student body, to the Arab students, to the Muslim students, to the students who are advocating for peace, advocating for ceasefire, advocating for solutions?'

Earlier this month, the House officially voted to censure Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib for a string of incendiary remarks condemning Israel after the Hamas terrorist attacks on October 7 that killed 1,400 people.

Twenty-two Democrats joined Republicans to condemn the progressive Michigan lawmaker in a stunning rebuke of her controversial statements 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 'from the river to the sea', which many consider to be an anti-Semitic call for the destruction of Israel.

Tlaib is the only Palestinian-American member of Congress and has been heavily critical of 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 Department of Education 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.

Five of the investigations are in response to allegations of anti-Semitic harassment, while two are in response to allegations of anti-Muslim harassment.

These are the first investigations of their kind following the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, which has prompted protests on campuses across the country. 

The Department of Education announced the inquiries on Thursday, calling it part of the Biden administration's effort to take 'aggressive action' against discrimination. 

The schools include one K-12 school, the Maize Unified School District in 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, The Cooper Union in New York, and the University of Pennsylvania.

Once the Department of Education has concluded their investigation, they will be making recommendations to the institutes. 

Schools found to have violated civil rights law can face penalties up to a total loss of federal money, although the vast majority of cases end in voluntary settlements. 

Secretary of Education 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 any other ethnicity or shared ancestry, schools must act to ensure safe and inclusive educational environments where everyone is free to learn.'

All of the investigations were opened Wednesday or Thursday. The department said an updated list of investigations will be released each week. 

Since the conflict in the Middle East started last month, campuses have seen a rise in tension over the war.

In New York City, students at Columbia University who signed a letter blaming Israel for the October 7 attack were openly doxed by a box truck. 

The truck, sponsored by a group called Accuracy in Media, has shown on a panel screen on its side the faces and names of students beneath the words 'Columbia's Leading Antisemites.'

Students signed on a statement saying that the 'weight of responsibility for the war and casualties deniably lies with the Israeli extremist government.'

Last week, the University suspended Students for Justice for Palestine (SJP) and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) after unauthorized campus protests. 

The two student organizations are suspended as official student groups through the end of the fall semester. 

SJP is a network of pro-Palestinian student groups across the US which spread anti-Israel propaganda often mixed with antiemetic, provocative and sometimes violent messaging.

Immediately following the October 7 many SJP chapters released statements of support, including imagery of the attacks and applauded the rape and murder as Palestinian 'resistance' to Israel.

JVP is an anti-Zionist group that supports the international boycott movement against Israel.

Suspension means the two student groups will not be eligible to host events on campus or receive university funding until the end of the semester.

Columbia also launched an antisemitism taskforce to tackle 'terribly resilient form of hatred' after a number of Jewish-related assaults and harassment on campus. 

Other incidents at campuses include Jewish students at Cooper Union, also in New York City, being forced to take shelter inside a library on campus to avoid a pro-Palestine mob. 

Late last month, a group chanting 'Free, free Palestine' held a protest in the lobby of the college near Astor Place in Manhattan. 

The crowd barged past a security guard and attempted to storm the library, where Jewish students had taken refuge. Those inside were later let out. \

At Harvard University, which is not being investigated, the Palestinian Solidarity Committee has been condemned for issuing a letter on October 7. 

Co-signed by 33 other Harvard student organizations, stating: 'We, the undersigned student organizations, hold the Israeli regime entirely responsible for all unfolding violence.'

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 has apologized for the statement, and said it does not represent the views of the university.