In a recent development, the National Communication Association (NCA) has issued an apology for the cancellation of a speech on Gaza by its president, Walid Afifi, during the association's 109th Annual Convention. The controversy arose when Afifi invited speakers, including Ahlam Muhtaseb, to write and deliver parts of his address. Muhtaseb had planned to use the words 'genocide' and 'free Palestine' in her speech. However, shortly before the address was scheduled to start, Afifi informed the speakers that the association would cancel the entire awards ceremony if Muhtaseb gave her part. All the speakers refused to participate, leading to the cancellation of the address. The NCA's Executive Committee has issued an apology to the speakers and expressed regret to its members for missing the opportunity to hear their peers' speeches. The committee is currently investigating the incident and plans to implement measures to prevent future violations of free speech and academic freedom [4eaa23bc].
In a separate incident, the Columbia Law Review board temporarily shut down the journal's website after publishing an article arguing for the establishment of the Nakba as a legal concept. The article, written by Palestinian human rights lawyer Rabea Eghbariah, proposes to distinguish apartheid, genocide, and Nakba as different modalities of crimes against humanity. The board members pressured editors to delay or cancel the publication of the article, and the website is still offline. Critics argue that the suppression of the article is part of a wider silencing of Palestinian voices and denial of Israel's genocide and occupation. Eghbariah questions why the board is afraid of Palestinians narrating their own reality and speaking their own truth. The incident is seen as a testament to the Palestine exception to free speech and academic freedom [85a3b791].
The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) has also raised concerns about the censorship of an exhibition at the Greek Consulate in New York. The artwork by New York-based artist Georgia Lale was removed on the order of Greece's Foreign Minister, George Gerapetritis. The censorship came after political criticism of one of Lale's works, which was claimed to 'mock' the Greek national flag by the leader of the nationalist, pro-Orthodoxy party Niki. NCAC has issued a statement condemning the censorship [6940da52].