Top House Dem jumps to Hasan Pikers defense after cancelled college event

A top House Democrat is speaking out against a university’s decision to cancel an appearance by controversial far-left activist Hasan Piker on its campus.Rep.Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., the former Congressional Progressive Caucus chair, publicly called on students at the University of Washington to “work with the university to ensure” that Piker was able to speak.Jayapal also said in a statement posted to X on Thursday that she was personally working with the university on the issue.“As a Member of the Judiciary Committee, I have been absolutely clear that free speech is a constitutional right that we must all stand up and protect.

I have been communicating my concerns about the cancellation of the Hasan Piker event directly to the University, and they have informed me that they are doing an internal review to ensure this never happens again,” Jayapal wrote.Piker posted on X earlier this week that the event was canceled due to his criticism of Israel.“i wish the dems were smarter & didn’t let the [right-wing] groups be the only people who speak out against this clear violation of [the First Amendment] but unfortunately my position as a prominent critic of israel stops them from using this moment to show gop as arch cancel culture warriors,” Piker wrote.The University of Washington said in a statement that Piker’s event was canceled because it “was determined that the process for organizing this event did not meet the necessary level of rigor for University-hosted events.”The decision also prompted backlash from the right.“Let the radical Mao loving communist Hasan Piker speak, so long as he can resist the urge to call for the death of his political opponents.Universities do this to TPUSA often and blame some admin error etc.,” Turning Point USA’s Andrew Kolvet posted on X.

“It’s wrong.Let him speak.

Let conservatives speak.Peacefully.”Piker, a streamer, has long made headlines for controversial and far-left statements.In 2019,...