Arizona State University canceled a pro-Palestine, on-campus event scheduled for Friday that was to feature remarks from Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., whose antisemitic rhetoric earned her a bipartisan censure from the House of Representatives last week.
A university spokesperson told The Arizona Republic that the event, "Palestine is an American Issue," was canceled due to procedural issues.
It comes a day after a bipartisan group of Arizona lawmakers said Tlaib's extremist views were "not welcome" in the state.
It's the second event in Arizona featuring Tlaib that has been canceled this month.
Friday's event was going to be hosted by the Arizona Palestine Network, a pro-Palestinian advocacy group.
"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," an ASU spokesperson told the Republic.
"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."
Tlaib was censured in the House on Nov. 7 over a series of antisemitic remarks about Israel, including her use of the phrase "from the river to the sea" in a social media video posted a few days before. That slogan is a call for "erasing the state of Israel and its people" and a "rallying cry for terrorist groups," according to the American Jewish Committee.
In the video, Tlaib also accused President Joe Biden of promoting genocide. Tlaib never condemned Hamas' massacre of civilians — including women, children and infants — in Israel on Oct. 7, instead accusing Israel of being an apartheid state. That came the same day as the incursion.
On Thursday, four Arizona lawmakers — Republican Reps. Michael Carbone and Alexander Kolodin, Democrat Reps. Alma Hernandez and Consuelo Hernandez — released a statement condemning the extremist views of Tlaib and Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), a radical anti-Israel organization.
The lawmakers did, however, stop short of calling for the event to be canceled, noting the virtues of free speech and "uncomfortable conversations."
"[Tlaib] has a history of espousing such a view both before and following the deadly October 7 terrorist attacks against Israel that were perpetrated by the pro-Palestinian Hamas terrorist organization. We believe that such extremist, antisemitic views should be condemned, and they are not welcome in the state of Arizona," the state lawmakers wrote.
"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."
Earlier this month, the Sheraton Mesa Hotel at Wrigleyville West told the Council for American-Islamic Relations' (CAIR) Arizona chapter that it would not host its annual banquet featuring Tlaib that was scheduled for Saturday. CAIR is holding the event at another venue that was not publicly identified.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.