© unknownSamia Halaby in her studio in 2016
IU has refused to be transparent about alleged security concerns that prompted cancellation of Palestinian painter Samia Halaby's exhibit — so FIRE is pursuing the information through other avenues.
Last week, FIRE filed an open records request with Indiana University, with the goal of learning more about
whether viewpoint discrimination was behind the abrupt cancellation of a pro-Palestinian art exhibit.Before its sudden cancellation in December, the retrospective of prominent 87-year-old Palestinian artist Samia Halaby was scheduled to open Feb. 10 at IU's Eskenazi Museum of Art.In January, FIRE
asked IU to reschedule the event, or at least be transparent about the security concerns that allegedly led to its cancellation.
But the university has remained silent — even in the face of increasing
public pressure to reverse course.
According to Halaby, in December, the museum director cited complaints from museum employees about Halaby's social media
criticism of
Israel as grounds for the exhibit's cancellation. But in January, when news of the cancellation went public,
the university pivoted, instead claiming that
"academic leaders and campus officials canceled the exhibit due to concerns about guaranteeing the integrity of the exhibit for its duration."At a moment of heightened tension on campus, universities need to be more protective of free expression than ever, not less.
But both explanations —
depending on the specifics —
present potential First Amendment concerns.
Comment: It seems that, despite the brazen attacks on farming over the past few years, farmers are now beginning to realise that governments really are intent on shutting them down, and, as the situation currently stands, they're at the mercy of subsidies and 'deceptive' concessions, which can (and will) be withdrawn at any time: