The University of Southern California has canceled its traditional graduation speech by Class of 2024 valedictorian Asna Tabassum, a Muslim who has expressed support for Palestine on social media, the Los Angeles Times reported. The school is citing safety concerns over emails and messages they received that threatened to disrupt the ceremony.
In a campus-wide letter, USC Provost Andrew T. Guzman wrote that the attacks on social media, targeting Tabassum for her pro-Palestine views, had escalated to an "alarming tenor" over the last few weeks. "The issue here is how best to maintain campus security and safety, period," Guzman wrote, saying later that the school is providing Tabassum support.
