A Texas hotel will no longer host a pro-Palestinian event headlined by a controversial congresswoman after pushback and stated “potential risks.”
(Video: KHOU)
Though planned in advance of the Hamas terror attacks in Israel that escalated to war after more than 1,400 people were slaughtered by militants infiltrating from the Gaza Strip, a conference in Houston, Texas was scratched out of concern for team members and guests.
The U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR) National Conference, dubbed Seize The Moment, was slated to take place at the Hilton Houston Post Oak at the Galleria from Oct. 27 – 29 with Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D) providing the keynote address on “Building A Liberated Future.”
“Together we’re building toward a vibrant future where all are free, in defiance of Israeli repression and U.S. imperialism,” the event’s website read as it boasted of workshops “Confronting Zionism on College Campuses,” “Advancing BDS from Below: The UC Berkeley Pro-BDS Bylaws Strategy,” and others that ran the gamut on intersectionality including “Queer Palestinian Empowerment” and “Black-Palestinian Solidarity.”
Noted guests included professor and Al Jazeera host Marc Lamont Hill, activist Linda Sarsour and Center for Constitutional Rights senior staff attorney Diala Shamas until a pressure campaign online resulted in the hotel canceling accommodations and releasing a statement to the press.
“Hilton Houston Post Oak by the Galleria serves as a place of public accommodation and does not endorse the positions of third-party groups or organizations,” the statement noted. “The safety and security of our Team Members and guests is our top priority. Given escalating security concerns in the current environment, the hotel has determined that it cannot serve as the venue for this event because of the potential risks to our Team Members and guests. Our priority is and will remain the safety and security of everyone we welcome at our hotel.”
Before announcing the cancelation of the event at that venue, Hilton was facing mass calls for boycott on social media as users posted the location’s address, phone number and email address that concerned members of the public could connect and voice their objections.
“Looks like the pressure of the Texas Citizens got to the Hilton here in Houston,” one user wrote after the announcement came out, “they didn’t want to [be] like Bud Lite.”
Looks like the pressure of the Texas Citizens got to the Hilton here in Houston they didn’t want to like Bud Lite.
— gloria anstine (@babycc1126) October 18, 2023
In his own reaction to the cancelation, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott had stated on X, “Hilton Hotels in Houston was correct to pull the plug on the U.S. Campaign for Palestine Rights even hosted by Hamas supporters. Texas has no room for hate & antisemitism like that supported by Hamas. No location in Texas should host or sponsor USCPR.”
While there was no stated support from Hamas on the event page, the conference came as its keynote speaker faced her own criticism for being slow to condemn the attacks against Israel and for having a history of statements in opposition to the Middle Eastern state.
A recently resurfaced video showed the Michigan lawmaker being challenged on whether or not Israel had a right to exist. When asked, “So the Jews would have a state that they felt safe in?” she replied, “If it means my grandmother can’t exist equally as a human being then, no. Right?”
Meanwhile, she continued to foment discord in the region as she jumped on an unsubstantiated claim that Israel had been responsible for the bombing of a hospital in Gaza that is believed to be the result of a strike from Hamas, and posted on social media, “Israel just bombed the Baptist Hospital killing 500 Palestinians (doctors, children, patients) just like that. [President Joe Biden] this is what happens when you refuse to facilitate a ceasefire & help de-escalate. Your war and destruction only approach has opened my eyes and many Palestinian Americans and Muslim Americans like me. We will remember where you stood.”
Israel just bombed the Baptist Hospital killing 500 Palestinians (doctors, children, patients) just like that. @POTUS this is what happens when you refuse to facilitate a ceasefire & help de-escalate.
Your war and destruction only approach has opened my eyes and many… https://t.co/mZYoifT7bj
— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) October 17, 2023
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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