The Israel-Hamas war has presented a challenge for colleges under pressure to preserve free speech and open debate.
LOS ANGELES — The University of Southern California canceled a commencement speech by its 2024 valedictorian who has publicly supported Palestinians, citing security concerns for the rare decision that has been praised by several pro-Israel groups and lambasted by free speech advocates and the country’s largest Muslim civil rights organization.
“The intensity of feelings, fueled by both social media and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, has grown to include many voices outside of USC and has escalated to the point of creating substantial risks relating to security and disruption at commencement," Guzman wrote. Tabassum, who is graduating with a major in biomedical engineering and a minor in resistance to genocide, said she was blindsided by the decision, in a statement provided Tuesday by the Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. University officials on Monday told her that the school had the resources to take appropriate safety measures but they were concerned about their image, she said.
In his statement, Guzman asserted that the decision was solely about safety and came after consulting the “expert campus safety team." USC’s associate senior vice president of safety and risk assurance, Erroll G. Southers, is an expert in school violence prevention and a former FBI agent who is also president of the Los Angeles Police Commission, the civilian board that oversees the Los Angeles Police Department.
University campuses have been a hotbed of protest activity surrounding the Israel-Hamas war, which began following Hamas’ deadly Oct. 7 attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people. Israel’s responding assault on Gaza has killed as many as 33,800 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry.
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