As tensions boil over in the Israel-Hamas war, several local leaders are taking a stand for freedom of speech.
That issue has been center stage as college campuses become flashpoints in the conflict. Nationwide, student protestors have taken over universities with encampments and occupied faculty buildings.
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On Wednesday, two University of Houston students were arrested by campus police after they tried to set up a Pro-Palestinian encampment. One of those students was arrested for assaulting a police officer.
State Senator Paul Bettencourt told KPRC 2′s Faith Braverman that these protests are not protected freedom of speech, but violence, and he’s grateful the UH encampment was shut down almost immediately.
“You can’t let things get out of hand,” Bettencourt said.
The State Senator said this is why he and several of his colleagues sponsored an event Wednesday night, to ensure the guest speaker’s freedom of speech was protected.
The Houston Young Republicans experienced several setbacks while planning the ‘Stand with Israel’ event.
The headlining speaker was Livia Link-Raviv, the Consul General of Israel to the Southwest United States.
Link-Raviv spends time in Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas building diplomatic relationships between these states and Israel.
But organizers were forced to host Link-Raviv in an undisclosed location.
HYR President Rafael Struve said the event was threatened on two different occasions.
Back in March, the first venue scheduled to host the Consul General received nonstop threatening calls, so the restaurant asked organizers to find a different location.
The event was then moved elsewhere, but when protesters once again called, and threatened to “burn the building down”, HYR canceled it for security reasons.
Organizers worked to find a secure location with armed security, if that’s what it would take, to ensure attendees were safe.
As it turned out, that’s exactly what it would take.
As attendees arrived at the venue, several police officers dotted the barely visible entrance, which you could only access with a QR code.
For all the precautions taken, the venue location somehow got leaked. Protestors began calling, once again threatening the venue’s owner.
But organizers held strong, and an estimated 100 people attended the Consul General’s speech.
“We’re not going to put up with this behavior, whether it’s in H-town or whether it’s on the UT main campus.” Bettencourt said.
Link-Raviv’s highly anticipated speech centered on two things: Dismantling the terrorist organization Hamas and freeing the estimated 132 hostages held captive by them.
The Consul General said she is always willing to engage with groups who invite her to speak, and that it’s regrettable threats of violence and intimidation postponed the event.
“I was thankful for the support from numerous elected officials in the Houston area showcasing our mutual commitment to free speech, open discussion, and mutual understanding. When speakers are barred from engaging with audiences, the people of Houston are those who ultimately miss out on valuable opportunities for discourse and learning,” Link-Raviv said.
Struve said the event was a huge success for the organization, and had a message for the people who tried to shut them down.
“I hope you realize that this kind of backfired. And this only made this event bigger, better, and more impactful than it ever would have been had you guys just allowed for freedom of speech to reign supreme. So, in a sense, thank you for the free publicity,” Struve said.