Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., has publicly defended the right to free speech for activist and streamer Hasan Piker, whose event at the University of Washington was recently canceled.
Jayapal, the former chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, called on students to work with the university to reinstate the event and stated she was personally communicating with university officials. "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," Jayapal said in a statement posted to X. "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."
Piker himself stated on X that the event's cancellation was due to his criticism of Israel. He suggested that political groups were preventing the Democratic party from using the situation to highlight Republican opposition to free speech.
The University of Washington stated that the event was canceled because the organizing process "did not meet the necessary level of rigor for University-hosted events." The decision also drew criticism from Turning Point USA's Andrew Kolvet, who argued that universities often cancel events for conservative groups under similar pretexts. He stated, "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. It’s wrong. Let him speak. Let conservatives speak. Peacefully."
Piker, a prominent far-left streamer, has faced controversy for past statements. In 2019, he suggested "America deserved 9/11," a remark he later walked back, attributing it to misinterpretation and stating his advocacy is against violence. More recently, he referred to Hamas as a "lesser evil" compared to Israel, drawing backlash from the Anti-Defamation League.
Piker has been campaigning with socialist-aligned candidates, including Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and Francesca Hong, a former Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate. Fox News Digital reached out to Piker for comment regarding the defenses of his speaking engagement by Jayapal and Kolvet.