The University of Vermont has canceled a lecture by a Palestinian author scheduled for this week, citing an inability to ensure the safety of the event.
Mohammed Elkurd, a Palestinian poet and journalist from Jerusalem, was scheduled to speak Thursday night at UVM’s Davis Center, according to online listings. According to the event description, El-Kurd was scheduled to discuss “representation and misrepresentation of Palestinians in the United States.”
But on Saturday, the university’s safety and compliance department sent an email to event organizers informing them that they would not be able to hold the event as planned.
“Based on global, national, and local events, the department has determined that it is not possible to adequately provide safety and security for this event as planned at this time,” the department said. in an unsigned email, a copy of which was shared with VTDigger. . “The University attempted to work with you to reschedule the event for a later date, but you were unable or unwilling to reschedule.”
The decision immediately sparked a backlash. The nonprofit Will Miller Social Justice Lecture Series, which sponsored the event along with UVM’s English and sociology departments, called the event “deeply disturbing.”
University spokesperson Adam White said in an email to VTDigger that the event had been planned for months before the Israeli-Hamas war broke out this month.
“Based on our conversations over the past week with community members, campus partners, and public safety officials, we have determined that holding an event on campus this week raises safety and security concerns that cannot be adequately mitigated,” White said in a statement. I did,” he said. “Accordingly, the University has decided not to provide meeting space for the October 26th Miller Lecture Series event.”
White did not respond to questions about whether the university had received any threats related to the incident.
El Kurd is a poet, journalist, and activist who has written extensively condemning Israel’s treatment of Palestinians. He was not available for comment.
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College campuses across the United States are grappling with how to respond to recent violence in Israel and Gaza amid sometimes conflicting demands from students, faculty, administrators, and donors. The New York Times reported Friday that multiple events featuring Palestinian speakers and subjects across the United States and Europe have been canceled.
The cancellation of Thursday’s event appears to be the first of its kind at Vermont’s flagship public university.
“The result is that Palestinian voices are selectively silenced at a time when space for discussion and dialogue is most needed to understand the current conflict,” the lecture group said in a statement on Monday. said. Organizers plan to hold the event online instead.
The Will Miller Social Justice Lecture Series, dedicated to the late UVM philosophy professor Will Miller, “offers an ongoing program of fundamental analysis of social, ecological, and political concerns,” according to the website. The purpose is to
UVM Hillel Executive Director Matt Vogel said in a statement Monday afternoon that the event was not canceled as a result of pressure from Jewish groups or individuals.
“UVM Hillel understands that this week’s Will Miller Social Justice Lecture Series event has been canceled due to safety concerns,” Vogel said. “We reject any claim that Jewish organizations or Jews are responsible for UVM’s decision to cancel the event.”
In response to email questions from VTDigger, Vogel said, “Students have reported seeing this story spread online, and inquiries from some media outlets have also been framed within this framework.” I asked him specifically about it.”
Vogel did not say whether he believed the event should go ahead as originally planned.
“UVM Hillel supports events that adhere to the University’s Common Ground values of respect, openness and responsibility,” he said. “As a community that values diverse narratives to help students find their own connections to events in Israel and Gaza, we engage in dialogue across differences to deepen understanding among our university community. I cherish it.”
As of Monday afternoon, an online letter-writing campaign had sent more than 1,000 notes in support of El Kurd. According to a photo shared by VTDigger, flyers posted around campus called for a rally Tuesday afternoon.
Helen Scott, a UVM English professor and director of the Will Miller Lecture Series, said last week that sponsors “were assured that the university respects academic freedom and will not cancel the event.” Then, over the weekend, UVM administrators reversed course, she said.
UVM Sociology Department Chair Jennifer Strickler said some students had called for the event to be canceled but were unaware of any actual threat. Strickler suggested simply postponing the event, but Elkuld had been booked months in advance and had a full schedule, she said.
“Given that, I think free speech and academic freedom are extremely important, and our faculty has determined that cancel culture is absolutely anathema to the ethos of the university,” she said. Told.
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