The University of Southern California has canceled a commencement speech by its 2024 valedictorian, a Muslim student who has expressed support for Palestinians, citing substantial security risks for the event that draws 65,000 people to campus.
FILE - This Tuesday, March 12, 2019 file photo shows the iconic Tommy Trojan statue at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. University of Southern California officials have canceled a commencement speech by its 2024 valedictorian, a pro-Palestinian Muslim, citing substantial risks relating to security and disruption of the event that draws 65,000 people to campus.
“Anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian voices have subjected me to a campaign of racist hatred because of my uncompromising belief in human rights for all,” she said, however, she added that she was not aware of any specific threats against her or the university. “To be clear: this decision has nothing to do with freedom of speech,” Guzman wrote. “There is no free-speech entitlement to speak at a commencement. The issue here is how best to maintain campus security and safety, period.”
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