By MATEUS FERREIRA/Staff Writer
SJP and the Muslim Student Association organized a screening of “Farha,” a controversial film about the mass displacement of Palestinians in 1948. The university canceled the event two days before the screening, saying the movie violated its freedom of speech policy. SJP claimed the University was unclear about why the screening was canceled, saying the decision was “authoritarian” and could affect other organizations.
SJP board members claimed the University was providing conflicting information. Simultaneously, they said there was not enough time to review the movie, but they also claimed the film had been thoroughly examined and found to go against the university’s freedom of speech.
“The university cannot have it both ways,” said Brandi Danea, the president of SJP, during a student open forum. “The reality is that this was not a procedural matter. It was an outright ban based on content. From our perspective, the cancellation of Farha can only be interpreted as an act of censorship and a blatant violation of our organization’s First Amendment rights. This decision has deeply disturbed many students, particularly Palestinian students and those who stand for truth and justice. It sets a dangerous precedent signaling that free speech on campus is not equally protected for all organizations and viewpoints.”
The university told the Talon that the screening was canceled because it violated its free speech guidelines.
“UT Tyler works to support all student organizations while ensuring adherence to university policies and state and federal law,” Unnamed University Officials said through Beverly Golden, associate vice president of strategic communications.
“In this case, the requested event did not adhere to UT Tyler Handbook of Operating Procedures Series 7.05.”
SJP also alleged the university refused to clarify which clause of the freedom of speech policy was violated.
”Our issue is the complete lack of transparency with regards to the cancellation itself. They refuse to tell us who made the final call,” said an anonymous SJP board member, who wished to go under the name Parish. “They refused to tell us how the film was reviewed and—most importantly—what clause in the policy we violated.”
The Talon asked the University if they would clarify the aforementioned clause. We were told there was “no further information.”
”Because if we don’t know what we did wrong, how were we supposed to go forward with any events?” Parish said.
Allegations of Censorship and a Lack of Transparency
SJP met with Student Engagement to raise their concerns. They say they hoped to discover the reasoning behind the decision and whether it could be reversed.
They also demanded reimbursement for the fees spent towards setting up the event. SJP spent over $170, a cost they called a financial blow for their small group.
They claim the University refused to answer their questions and to reimburse them. According to SJP, Student Engagement threatened to shut down the meeting if they continued asking questions about which clause they violated.
“It was at that point where I realized that we weren’t gonna get any answers if we kept pushing it,” Parish said.
Board Members attended a Student Government Association open forum to discuss the situation. SJP said the discussion “prematurely ended.” They said multiple senators raised their hands to move on to different issues while UT Tyler SJP members spoke. Raine, a board member with an altered name, claimed that the Chief Justice of SGA had his hand up for over ten minutes. She said other senators later told her privately that the meeting was “weird.”
Ultimately, the Director restated the student engagement’s stance, saying it was not up for debate.
”It means the administration is engaging in censorship and viewpoint discrimination,” Parish said. “This is a movie about a real historical event—a crime perpetrated against Palestinians—and we came to the conclusion that the university refuses to be transparent.”
Farha controversy
Farha is a controversial film and has sparked fierce debate over accusations of antisemitism.
The 2023 movie follows a 14-year-old girl, Farha, locked in a storage room during the Nakba, the violent displacement Palestinians experienced in 1948. The film includes a scene where Farha witnesses the killing of a family with small children and a baby at the hands of Israeli soldiers. According to the Guardian, Israeli officials called the movie a “false narrative.”
The Israeli Finance Minister, Avigdor Lieberman, tweeted on X, “It’s crazy that Netflix decided to stream a movie whose whole purpose is to create a false pretense and incite against Israeli soldiers.”
Other people criticize that the movie claims to be “based on true events” yet only loosely based on the account of a specific survivor of the Nakba. The non-profit pro-Israel advocacy organization StandWithUs describes the film as “a work of historical fiction wrongly portrayed as factual.”
Defenders of the film say Farha highlights real experiences during the Nakba, which they say are often ignored. The Middle East Research and Information Project praised the story and stated, “Farha is not a documentary but an artistic production.”
SJP says it’s impossible to know if antisemitism is the problem when it comes to the cancellation, adding that—either way—Farha is an important movie.
”The catastrophe of 1948 is a real historical event. I mean, it happened. Palestinians did not cleanse themselves,” Parish explained.
They add that—although there can be different opinions on the Nakba—the event itself cannot be denied.
What is HOP 7.05 on Free speech and Executive Order GA-44?
Like all public Texas Universities, UT Tyler’s freedom of speech policy has been changed following a controversial executive order by Senator Greg Abbott. The order was made to target antisemitism on college campuses. It singles out SJP and demands universities take disciplinary action if they violate the new policies.
The order requires all universities to include the definition of antisemitism adopted by the State of Texas in Section 448.001 of the Texas Government Code. This definition describes antisemitism as “a certain perception of Jews that may be expressed as hatred toward Jews.” The term includes “rhetorical and physical acts of antisemitism directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”
UT freedom of speech policy, HOP 7.05, said it complies with the Texas Holocaust, Genocide, and Antisemitism Advisory Commission and Texas Governor’s Executive Order No. GA-44. It also states, “The University shall not discriminate based on the political, religious, philosophical, ideological, or academic viewpoint expressed by any person, either in the enforcement and administration of these rules or otherwise.”
SJP encourages the University to “reject” Abbot’s order, saying it “infringes upon our First Amendment rights.”
“UT Tyler’s so-called ‘free speech’ guidelines are dictated by Governor Greg Abbott’s unconstitutional Executive Order No. GA-44, a directive designed to criminalize criticism of Israel and punish students advocating for Palestinian rights,” read an Instagram post by SJP.
Response by Farha’s Film Production Company
Board members said the university’s decision disturbed the film production company, which had given them permission to screen the movie.
“They were shocked because the movie has been screened countless times across American universities, and this is the first and only time an American university has canceled the screening of the film,” Parish said, paraphrasing the film production company’s statement.
A Facebook post by an official account for the movie criticized the decision and supported SJP and MSA.
“This is a blatant censorship of voices for Palestine, silenced by an educational institution,” the post read. “It is not only a suppression of freedom of expression, but of truth itself.”
Accusations of racial bias and censorship
Parish said that it’s not a good image for the university. Saying the university is trying to cover up the Palestinian narrative and has a racial bias against the group for its Arab-Palestinian affiliations.
“I keep dancing around it,” Parish said. “It’s racist. I don’t know. It’s racist. It’s racist.”
SJP said the university is trying to erase the Palestinian narrative. For them, the university is sending a clear message to its students.
“If you are a Palestinian, and if you want to share your story, the reality of what has happened to your people, we’re not going to let you,” Parish summarizing what he believes to be the university’s stance. “We’re going to silence you, we’re gonna say that violates freedom of speech or whatever.
They said UT Tyler SJP members are outraged and want to protest. Raine, another board member with an altered name, explained that SJP is a space for students to learn about and practice social justice. She added that the group is an “easy target” for the university to say they violated the freedom of speech policy without clarifying how.
“So, me, personally, I was livid, like outraged,” Raine said. “I was very upset. I cried, contemplated punching a wall.”
Backlash
UT Tyler SJP is concerned that this may become a problem for all student organizations.
”That’s just because it’s us dealing with this issue, but it’s kind of setting a precedent that a university administration can shut any meeting for any event for any transaction and not give a reason,” Parish said.
Yet the group claims the cancellation only strengthens their resolve.
“We are not gonna remain silent; this only motivates us more to spread the word about this as much as possible,” Raine explained.
In response, SJP is now exploring options to screen the film off-campus.
“Let it be known: UT Tyler protects free speech for some and suppresses it for others,” SJP board members said as a message to the University. “To every student and organization silenced, erased or sidelined by UT Tyler’s policies: We see you. We stand with you. We invite you to resist with us.”
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