University of Southern Maine Cancels Palestine Conference Citing Federal Sanctions
The University of Southern Maine has abruptly withdrawn support for an on-campus conference focused on Palestine, citing concerns over U.S. sanctions against a scheduled virtual speaker. The decision, made just days before the event, has ignited a fierce debate over free speech and academic freedom, with organizers vowing to challenge the university's actions legally.
Conference Disrupted Over Sanctioned Speaker Participation
More than 300 participants had registered for the "Consequences of Palestine" conference, which was set to include remote participation from Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories. Albanese has been under sanction by the Trump administration since last year, accused of antisemitism and supporting terrorism. In response, USM officials cited federal law prohibitions on exchanging "goods or services" with sanctioned individuals, warning of potential fines or imprisonment.
Organizers, including the Maine Coalition for Palestine, Maine Voices for Palestinian Rights, and USM's criminology and sociology department, are now scrambling to secure an alternative venue. They argue the cancellation constitutes an unlawful suppression of protected speech under the First Amendment. Abigail Fuller, a sociology professor at USM, emphasized, "We're a public university; the university system is subject to First Amendment laws. We feel we have a very, very strong case that they are suppressing our free speech."
Contradictory Guidance and Legal Ambiguities
The university's stance appears to conflict with guidance from the Office of Foreign Assets Control, issued in December, which clarified that featuring sanctioned individuals as speakers does not require prior authorization or constitute a prohibited service. This guidance was provided in response to inquiries from the Middle East Studies Association, which also planned to include Albanese in an event. Samantha Warren, the University of Maine system's chief external and governmental affairs officer, defended the decision in an email, stating that hosting the conference would violate federal law and that organizers should have sought treasury department permission.
However, legal experts criticize the sanctions law for its vagueness, which they say improperly chills constitutionally protected speech. Xiangnong Wang, a staff attorney at the Knight First Amendment Institute, noted that a 2023 lawsuit led to a settlement where the treasury department acknowledged that including sanctioned speakers in events is not prohibited. "It's very concerning that sanctions continue to have such a broad deterrent effect on speech that is undoubtedly protected by the First Amendment," Wang said, highlighting the chilling impact on scholars and advocates.
External Pressure and University's Risk Assessment
Organizers believe USM administrators acted under external pressure, including a letter from Republican lawmakers inquiring about steps to ensure the safety of Jewish students. Fuller reported that university officials also expressed fear of federal funding cuts. After failing to convince the university that OFAC authorization was unnecessary, organizers offered to remove Albanese from the program but were told there was insufficient time to reassess the conference's "risk."
Albanese, who has denounced the sanctions as a sign of "guilt" and rejected antisemitism accusations, did not comment on this incident but previously criticized the U.S. for "plotting against democratic values." Fateh Azzam, a member of the Maine Coalition for Palestine, affirmed the organizers' determination to proceed, stating, "This controversy will probably bring in more people," and emphasizing that cancellation would silence public debate on critical issues.
The incident underscores ongoing tensions between national security measures and academic freedoms, with implications for higher education institutions nationwide.
